


A Gem's Determination

by TheStorytellerBri



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Death, Gen, Mild Language, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Originally Posted on deviantART, Spoilers, Weird Plot Shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-20 17:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 35,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9502034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStorytellerBri/pseuds/TheStorytellerBri
Summary: Connie falls into the Underground while training one day, and the Crystal Gems follow suit to bring her back up to the surface. However, an unexpected event makes it exceedingly difficult to find her, and an unexpected appearance threatens to trap them all down there, unless they can find a way for Determination to be used to change everything...Spoilers for both Steven Universe and for the genocide/no mercy route in Undertale.





	1. Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably make a short story in the future about what happened to cause this to be so different, just know that this takes place about three weeks-a month after the events of the Cluster, and went very differently than what actually happened.
> 
> Also that this had begun around the same time as the Steven's Birthday bomb, so that's why things are different, and some powers are introduced much later in the story.
> 
> Again, there are spoilers for the Genocide/No Mercy route for Undertale in here, and I would really like it for there to not be spoilers in the comments for either the show or the game. Thank you!

  
The legend of Mt. Ebott was quite a strange one to the populace of Beach City, which was saying something, because Beach City itself was not the most normal place in the world.  Rumor was that there were strange monsters living in the mountain, with properties similar to Gems, but lacking in any human feature.  It was also said that they were sealed inside the mountain by the Gems long ago, with a powerful magic keeping them trapped inside.  However, nobody ever went to investigate.  A few teams in the past did, but none never returned.  Now, in Beach City lore and cautionary tales, lies Mt. Ebott, a place where people go to, but never return from.

All fear it, with the exception of the Gems.

The Gems is where our story starts, in fact, a story of loss and being found, violence and virtue, and revenge and forgiveness, as well as love and determination.

Huh?  Lost already?  No worries, all will be explained in due time.  Be patient.

Who am I?  Well, that’s a secret.  Just know that I’m nobody important.

Why and how am I talking to you?!  Well, well, someone certainly asks a lot of questions!  Why can’t you just enjoy a story?  Stop questioning everything and just enjoy this tale, alright?  Anyways, our story starts with the Crystal Gems...  
***

Stevonnie took a few deep breaths, hiding behind a tree.  They tightened the grip on Rose’s sword, a grip that was already shaking, not just from the stress, but also because Steven had to stop summoning his shield so they still could be together as one.

“You’re doing fine, Steven.”  Stevonnie said aloud, but quietly, looking around for any of the Gems.  Connie knew that it had been the longest Steven that had summoned the shield before.  He clearly needed a break.  “Are you sure you want to keep going?”

Steven took charge again and nodded.  “You know we can’t stop for anything.”  A flash of light and Steven’s shield was back hovering on Stevonnie’s right arm.  “Let’s keep moving.  Garnet’s probably planning an attack now with her future vision, and who knows where Opal’s at.”

This was their idea of training for Yellow Diamond--fusion drills, they called them, and was basically close combat training with different fusions.  This time, it was Garnet and Opal versus Stevonnie, with Stevonnie representing the Crystal Gems--in case “anything went horribly wrong,” Pearl reminded them.  It always worried Steven whenever Pearl said that.  But, he knew why.

Any of them could end up like Peridot in the heat of battle.  Any of them could easily end up being shattered.

“Concentrate, Steven.”  Connie warned, taking control again.  “Let’s head north.  If we can find a vantage point, we might find Opal, which is good, because melee fighting’s her weakness, since her weapon’s a bow.”

Stevonnie left the safety of the thicket without another word, sheathing the sword, but holding the shield close to them.  At that moment, there was a loud thud behind them, and Garnet lunged towards them.  Stevonnie casually moved out of the way, their expression blank, and quickly hit her torso with the hilt of the sword, leaving Garnet on the ground, unhurt but slightly winded.

Opal fired an arrow from where they were, nearly hitting them, but Stevonnie easily sidestepped it and continued on, slamming Garnet back on the ground again with the blunt side of their sword.  Opal fired a quick barrage of arrows at them, and they quickly continued north, where the forest was thicker, Garnet close behind, and Opal still firing at them.

Stevonnie, still sidestepping arrows from the sky, zigzagged through the woods, hoping to lose track of Garnet along the way.  Opal was finally visible, leaping through trees and making quick barrages of five or six arrows before continuing.  Garnet managed to circle around them, and threw down her gauntlets, causing a rift in the earth.  They ran off to the side, then lunged at her, pinning her to the ground and holding the sword to Garnet’s neck.

Opal dropped down from where they were, defusing and Pearl running over towards them.  There was nothing but the wind, and the silence was deafening.

“Something’s wrong.”  Garnet said softly.  “The ground shouldn’t have broken like that here.”  She gently pushed the sword to the side and stood up.  “Steven, what’s going on?  Can you regain control?”

Stevonnie looked shocked for a moment, then stepped back, getting into an attack stance.  At that moment, they unfused, Steven jumping towards Garnet, but Connie standing still.  The ground broke under Connie’s feet, and everything moved in slow motion, a look of confusion quickly turning into shock as the rocks and dirt underneath her feet slipped away, and she fell backwards, her mouth opening in a scream, her hand outstretched.  Steven reached out his hand, and felt her fingertips brush against his as she fell down into the depths below.

“Garnet, is Connie…?”  Steven asked, staring at the gaping hole in front of them.

“She’s fine.”  Garnet said, looking back at the other Crystal Gems.  “However, she’s fallen into the Underground.  It’s going to take a while for us to be able to get her out.  We should head back to the temple for now and gather supplies.  It’s getting late.”

As Pearl and Amethyst followed Garnet back to the Warp Pad, Pearl gently tapped Garnet’s shoulder, making sure that Steven wasn’t too close behind.

“He still doesn’t remember what happened.”  Pearl whispered.  “If we go down there, he’s going to want to go, too.  But, if he does, then…”

“That’s a risk we’re going to have to take, Pearl.”  Garnet whispered back.  “He was bound to find out eventually, anyway.  I just wish it wasn’t like this.  But, either way, I’m not looking forward to going back there, either.  The monsters hate Gems.”

“Yeah, and if they didn’t hate us, they’d hate humanity.”  Amethyst added in.  “Or, maybe just hate us even more.  We did do the right thing, though, right?”

“Yes, Amethyst.”  Pearl said tiredly.  “We did do the right thing.  We did what we had to to keep them safe.  Let’s hope we can do the same for Connie, as well.”


	2. Ruins

Connie woke up to find herself lying on a bed of golden flowers, their calming scent enveloping her.  She brushed the loose petals off her navy blue and raspberry striped dress and darker blue knee length leggings, adjusted the straps holding the dress up--the sleeves didn’t cover her shoulders, but were attached to her dress--and slowly stood up.  She seemed to be perfectly fine, though she was still confused about what exactly happened earlier.  It was almost as if she had lost control of herself completely, and she had somehow even disabled Steven to be in charge of Stevonnie.

She felt...powerful like that, and she was _afraid_ of that power.

Connie finally left the safety of the flower bed and walked along a small hall.  Rocky outcrops protruded from every possible angle, and the only sunlight there was came from the hole above, where she fell from.  A single purple archway stood before her, a strange symbol of three triangles and a circle with a pair of wings above it at the top.  It looked like nothing she had seen before, even in Gem lore, which she often studied when not sword fighting with Pearl and the others, thinking it might help relieve at least some conflict between the Crystal Gems and Homeworld.

 _Such a feeble excuse._  A small voice said in the back of Connie’s mind. _There’s no way to avoid such a big conflict like that.  You’re not going to be_ fighting _them, you’re starting a_ war.

It wasn’t a voice in her head that she recognized.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!”  A voice growled.  Connie backed up a bit and saw a small flower standing in the patch of grass in front of her, looking quite upset.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”  Connie said quickly.  “I’m sorry, I won’t try to step on you again, I promise!”

“Well, that’s okay.”  The flower said, smiling happily.  “Let’s start over.  Howdy!  I’m Flowey, Flowey the flower!”  Before Connie could reply, Flowey began talking again.  “You’re new to the Underground, huh?”

“Um, yes, I am.”  Connie said.

“Well, I guess I should teach you how things work around here, since there’s no one else around.”  Flowey replied happily, winking.  A small ring of white diamond shaped objects circled him.  “Oh, wait, I almost forgot.”  The yellow petals around his face glowed, and Connie’s body glowed, forming a small red heart in the center of her chest.  “That heart that just appeared is your SOUL, the very core of your being.  Even though humans can’t attack monster souls, it’s better for your soul to absorb attacks from them.”

Connie nodded, moving her soul around.  She found it easy, being able to do it easily with her eyes and mind.  “So, I attack physically, but the monsters attack with non-physical attacks with my soul as the target?”

“You’ve got it.”  Flowey said happily.  “Your SOUL will be weak at first, but if you gain LV, it’ll become stronger.”

“LV?”  Connie asked.  “As in, levels?”

Flowey looked slightly upset.  “You humans always think that, don’t you?  No, LV’s short for LoVe!  And LoVe is shared through special ‘friendliness pellets,’ like the ones circling around me right now.”

 _Dodge them._  The voice in Connie’s head said.

“So, just this once, I’m going to share with you some LoVe, for listening to me talking, because I’m _nice_ like that.”  Flowey explained, and Connie moved her soul safely out of the way.  “...Oh.  Y-you missed them.  Let’s try that again, shall we?”  Connie, once again, moved her soul from the strange objects with ease.  Flowey was visably upset.  “What’s wrong with you?  This is really simple!  RUN.  INTO.  THE.   ~~BULLETS~~ \--I mean, FRIENDLINESS PELLETS!  Look, all you have to do is just run into them!  You can do something as SIMPLE as THAT, right?!”

Connie tilted her head slightly as she moved her soul away again.  “You have horrible aim.”  She chuckled as she added, “And I’m not sure how seriously I can take you when you’re being this emotional.”

“No, I know what’s going on here.”  Flowey replied, smiling maliciously.  "You've done this before, haven't you?  You know _exactly_ what's happening here!"  A ring of bullets circled Connie's soul.  "Well, either way, I'm not going to mess an opportunity like this."  The ring of bullets began to quickly shrink.  " _DIE._ "  
  
Connie looked shocked for a while, but then, her entire demeanor changed.  Her stood there blankly, calmly watching her soul near destruction by an insane flower.  
  
As if it was completely, utterly normal.  
  
That was, however, until a small fireball knocked over Flowey, sending him flying away and causing the bullets to fall to the ground.  Connie drew her soul back to her as a tall monster resembling a goat walked over calmly.  She wore a plain lilac dress with the mysterious symbol she had seen before on the chest.  
  
"Such a horrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth."  The monster said.  "Do not be afraid, my child.  I will not hurt you."  
  
Connie was apprehensive.  After the run in with Flowey, she was nervous about giving the goat woman any hint of kindness.  However, she exuded a genuine aura of love and warmth.  She withdrew her soul into her body, calmly.  
  
"My name is Toriel."  The goat woman went on.  "I am the caretaker of the Ruins, so I come by often to see if anyone has fallen down around here.  I suppose I was quite fortunate today!"  She walked along a small trail leading to another archway ahead of them.  "Come, innocent one.  It will do you no good to stay here."  
  
"So, this place..."  Connie said, running to catch up with Toriel.  "It's called the Ruins?  Wait...am I actually _inside_ the mountain right now?"  
  
Toriel let out a small laugh.  "Yes, you are.  The entire area is called the Underground.  Just so you know."  The two of them entered a small foyer area, a large pile of red leaves sitting contently below a pair of large stone staircases.  Everything seemed to have a strange purple tint to it, making it seem warm and calming somehow.  
  
Connie walked over to the pile of leaves, looking above her.  Great shadows were cast everywhere, the rock ceiling arching widely away from her.  She took a deep breath as she felt something grow within her, something moving deep inside her SOUL.  She could tell that a journey was just beginning for her.  
  
She felt filled with determination.  
  
Connie let out a small laugh as she walked up the stairs opposite of the ones Toriel took.  Despite being on her own for this wild adventure, she felt like she could do anything she wanted to.  She quickly understood how the Underground worked:  Many series of puzzles were scattered about, to make anybody traversing through harder, as well as to lock away corridors from outside influence.  However, the puzzles were quite simple, and Connie went through them easily.  Toriel was quite pleased with her and her puzzle solving skills.  
  
"Oh, yes, I must warn you, as well, that since you are a human living here in the Underground, monsters will come and try to attack you."  Toriel suddenly said.  "If that happens, you can try talking to them and stall for time.  I will come your aid and resolve the issue."  
  
She was given a stick to defend herself in extreme situations, and Toriel told her to try talking to the dummy, as practice.  
  
She hit the dummy with the stick instead, which instantly fell over and disintegrated into dust.  
  
"Oh, um, the dummies aren't for fighting, they're for talking."  Toriel quickly said.  "Um, shall we just move onto the next room?"  
  
Connie nodded, but wanted to stay there for a while.  She needed to process what happened.  She had lost control again, after all, and she wanted to find out why.  
  
A small white frog looking creature hopped over to her curiously.  A Froggit, she believed Toriel had called it.  She smiled at it warmly, and then lost control as she bashed it with her stick.  
  
_Still standing._ The voice thought as the Froggit hopped around weakly, trying to attack Connie's soul.  W _hat a pity._ Another hit of the stick and it was over.  It, too disintegrated into dust.  
  
"Hey, you know seem to know a bit about this place."  Connie said softly, hoping Toriel wouldn't overhear.  "So, do the monsters down here function like Gems?"  
  
_Gems?_ The voice echoed.  _I'm not familiar with Gems.  Tell me about them._ Connie opened her mouth to say something, but Toriel turned around to face her.  
  
"My child, you've done well thus far."  Toriel said warmly.  "Far better than I expected, actually.  So, please do not mad when I tell you this, but I have a difficult task for you."  
  
"Oh?"  Connie asked.  "What is it?"  
  
Toriel looked at Connie's innocent eyes, shouted a quick "I'm sorry for this!", and ran down the hallway.  Connie calmly walked the hall after a short while.  
  
"Gems don't exactly have physical bodies."  Connie explained to the voice.  "They're made of light, but there is a physical component to them, which is their gem."  
  
The voice was silent for a moment.  _Well, then, yes and no.  Monsters' bodies are made of magic, and no physical matter at all.  When they die, their souls are scattered as dust, as well as their bodies, unless their Boss Monsters.  Then their souls stay for a little longer, but not as long as a human's._ The voice explained.  
  
"Oh, that reminds me, we haven't introduced ourselves."  Connie suddenly said.  "And I guess we should do that, if we're going to be together for a while, right?"  
  
They reached the end of the hall, where Toriel was waiting for them, appearing behind a large pillar.  
  
"That was little test for your independence, innocent one."  Toriel explained as Connie approached.  "I have a few errands to run, so I'm going to be leaving you shortly.  And I also have this to give you, to communicate with you until I get back."  She held out a small, dusty black flip phone.  
  
"I actually have a phone."  Connie said, taking it out of her dress pocket.  "All I have to do is put your number in it, and we're all set."  
  
As she said that, a small white dog leapt off the top of the pillar and grabbed Connie's phone right out her hand with his mouth.  He tucked it into his fur, barked happily, and ran off somewhere.  Connie and Toriel could've sworn that they heard a voice coming from the dog saying something to the effect of, "FOR THE PLOT!" as a song filled with something resembling dog barks followed him through the ruins.  
  
"He...steals things like that quite often."  Toriel said after a while.  "So, let me give you this cell phone so we can stay in touch.  It already has my number in it, so all you need to do is call.  I'll see you soon, my child."  
  
Connie smiled.  _By the way, I don't care about your name, and you don't need to know mine._ Connie frowned slightly, but shook her head lightly.  
  
"I know Toriel would most likely want us to stay in this room, but let's look around a bit, shall we?"  Connie said.  For once, the voice agreed with her.  
***  
  
Log 001- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]  
  
Determination is a mysterious unknown force that persists in humans specifically.  However, in recent tests, it has been known that trace amounts can be found in other creatures, such as Gems.  More tests need to be done, but it has been hypothesized that they use this force of Determination to boost regeneration rates.  
  
Subject 003-[REDACTED] has been shown to have the ability to carry large quantities of Determination, but this is yet to be known.  Further tests are needed to prove this.  Subject 003 is reacting as predicted to the insertion of [REDACTED].  Time will tell if [REDACTED] will react according to the predictions.  
  
Subject 002-[REDACTED], aka [REDACTED] is reacting normally, despite the horrid beginning involving Subject 001- [REDACTED] and their termination.  However, this was needed, as too much probing into the system might leave us exposed, and the experiments compromised.  There was just simply no way around it.  
  
End Log 001


	3. Peridot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song lyrics belong to Rebecca Sugar and Aivi and Surasshu.

Steven looked at the piece of rock in his hands.  A small, rectangular chunk of olivine with no visible facets, but a small shine to it.  He ran his thumb over the rough, jagged edges of where it had been broken away from the rest and tried not to cry.  
  
It was hard, knowing she was gone.  
  
Steven gasped as the door to the Temple opened and dove into his bed, pretending to be asleep.  He silently wished for whoever entered to go away, only for a gentle, slim hand to touch his shoulder.  
  
"I know you're awake, Steven."  Garnet said.  "I also know you still have that shard of Peridot, too."  
  
"I'm not bubbling it!"  Steven protested, sitting up, clutching the piece of his friend tightly.  "I can't have her just sit in the Temple forever, Garnet!  I'm not letting her be stuck there until we find a way to bring her back, whole.  I...I don't want to...I don't..."  
  
"I understand."  Garnet replied.  "She was very foolish trying to destroy the Cluster by herself.  However, she was also very brave.  If she hadn't triggered the detonation device manually, none of us would be here right now."  
  
Steven was silent for a while, then finally said, "So, is there a way to bring her back?"  When Garnet was quiet, Steven kept talking.  "I was thinking that if we could maybe manipulate a fusion experiment somehow, we could get her back.  I know we would only have one shot at it, and you probably wouldn't like it, but...  She...Peridot was a hero, Garnet.  She saved all of us without even thinking about it.  She's a true Crystal Gem, and she doesn't even know that we're looking up to her because of it.  We were panicking about losing our lives, and she didn't.  Peridot jumped down there with that bomb without even thinking about hers."  
  
"If we could bring Peridot back, she wouldn't be herself anymore."  Garnet finally said.  "But, I'm glad that you're thinking like that.  That you'd want to bring her back to life so that she could know that she belongs here.  But, right now, we really need to focus on rescuing Connie from the Underground.  I've told Lapis that she's to remain here and protect the Temple while we're away."  She handed Steven his backpack.  "Steven, you're probably going to need this.  I've packed several yards of rope so we can descend where Connie fell and start from there."  
  
Steven nodded, and Garnet walked down the stairs to the main part of the house.  "Oh, Garnet, one more thing."  Garnet turned around.  "Um, I know I probably shouldn't be asking this, but, do you see anything weird in your future vision?"  
  
"Soul fusions."  Garnet answered softly.  "And a desolate world full of fear, as well as a prosperous world filled with light.  I can't pinpoint anything exactly.  It keeps going backwards and forwards, stopping and starting again.  Somebody's tampering with time.  At least you have an idea of what we're facing now, Frisk."  
  
Steven was immediately confused.  "Garnet, are you okay?  I've never heard you call me that before.  Nobody calls me Frisk, actually."  
  
Garnet stopped, but didn't turn around.  "I'm fine."  Her hands were restless, tapping on the railing.  "You should try to get some rest.  We're leaving quite early."  She finally turned around to face him.  "Oh, and Steven..."  She stopped quite suddenly, her expression faltering.  "Never mind.  It's nothing important."  
  
Steven watched in silence as Garnet left through the Temple door, humming softly a familiar melody.  
  
Sapphire, trying to calm down Ruby.  Trying to get her not to tell Steven about something, most likely something extremely important.  
  
Steven laid down in his bed, sighed, and stared at the piece of Peridot still in his hand.  As he started to sing, he thought he heard two other voices joining him, one like his own, and one he heard many times in the past.  
  
_"Life and death, and love and birth, and_  
_Peace and war on the planet Earth._  
_Is there anything that's worth more,_  
_Is there anything that's worth more_  
_Is there anything that's worth more than_  
_Peace and love on the planet Earth?"_  
  
He soon fell asleep, and dreamt of his mother and Peridot watching him from above, singing the song he and his friends sang so long ago.  Rose, consoling him about his guilt.  Peridot, teasing him and cheering him up.  
  
Everything was going to be alright, they said.  You're doing a good job taking care of everyone.  Just stay determined, and everything will be alright.  
  
Just stay determined...  
***  
  
Log 002- Phase 2- Initiate- [REDACTED]  
  
Subject 004- [REDACTED] attempted to reawaken Subject 002's true form today.  They failed.  Which is a good thing.  They are not ready to not know the truth just yet.  
  
As long as they keep [REDACTED] contained, everything will go as planned.  [REDACTED] will override Subject 003's SOUL soon.  [REDACTED], however, is fickle.  They are not willing to give their SOUL over just yet.  
  
Meanwhile, the Storyteller has finally returned from whatever depths they crawl to.  Only for a short while, though.  But, they bring news of subject 102- [REDACTED].  They sense [REDACTED]'s return.  So did the anomaly, Asriel.  In fact, it has now been confirmed by the Storyteller that Asriel's power has been cancelled out by Subject 003's capacity of Determination alone.  They theorize that Subject 003 could even create a new World on their own based on the Determination they could hold within.  
  
If this is true, then...  
  
End Log 002  
***  
  
It was before dawn when the Crystal Gems left for Mt. Ebott again.  Steven tucked the piece of Peridot in his pocket before they left, knowing that she would want to tag along with them.  For some odd reason, he felt happy about this mission, despite what Garnet had told him before, and the overall mood of the four of them was quite somber.  
  
"So, I'm guessing you've been to the Underground before?"  Steven asked the others.  They reached the area where Connie fell, and Steven took off his backpack, while Garnet began taking out the rope she packed in it.  "You guys seem to be familiar with it."  
  
"Well, Garnet and I know a bit about it."  Pearl explained.  "You see, as well as humans, special beings known as monsters lived on Earth, too.  Then, the war happened, and to protect them, Rose placed them into a series of caverns underneath this mountain and sealed them away behind a barrier.  She meant to bring them back above ground, but they greatly resented her for it."  
  
"She tried negotiating with them, but they wouldn't hear any of it."  Garnet added.  "So, it'd probably be best if you didn't use much of your powers here.  Wouldn't want to cause a panic, after all."  She finished tying the rope around a tree trunk and threw it into the crater.  "Alright, let's go.  Amethyst, you first."  
  
"Sweet."  Amethyst said, and immediately grabbed the rope and repelled down, yelling the whole time.  Garnet and Pearl made more graceful entrances, and Steven found it quite enjoyable, laughing the whole way.  Once the four of them were down, they looked around in wonder.  
  
"So, this is...the Underground..."  Steven mused.  "Or, part of it, right?"  He turned around and saw something glowing softly in the distance.  A few more glowing things circled them, and the sound of something almost mechanical warming up.  "You guys, around me, now!"  
  
Surprised by what he said, the others stared at him, but obeyed.  Steven managed to throw up a bubble around them just before the lasers went off, going off in different directions off of the bubble.  A figure in all black stepped out of the shadows, nothing but a blue glowing eye visible.  
  
" **Sorry."** They said calmly.  " **I thought they would come back here soon.  I suppose I was wrong."  
  
** Pearl summoned her spear out of her gem, and Steven carefully dropped the bubble.  "Who are you, and who are you after?"  
  
" **Why do you want to know?"** The mysterious figure asked.  " **After all, even if it that did that hit them, they would just come back.  Even at this point, they have too much determination.  They would erase that timeline and start over again, just as they normally would."  
  
** "So, you know the one who's causing the anomalies."  Garnet replied.  "Also, I'm positive the one you're looking for and the one we're after is one and the same.  If you lead them to us, I could give you valuable information.  Clairvoyant information."  
  
The figure seemed to ponder this, shifting from side to side a little.  Then, they finally spoke again.  " **n** **o need.  besides, you should go.  there's a dangerous human on the loose, and i'm sure you wouldn't want to cross paths with them.  also..."** They turned and pointed to Steven, head tilted to the side, their eye glowing again.  " **Y O U** R E A L L Y  S H O U L D N ' T  B E  H E R E,  F R I S K."  
  
"That doesn't make any sense!"  Steven protested.  "First Garnet, and now you, and you don't even know me!  Just tell me who Frisk is."  
  
The figure walked away, lifted the hood off their face, smiled, and disappeared with the blink of an eye.  No words or anything.  They just left.  
  
"Let's keep moving."  Garnet said after a while.  "Connie's bound to be still in the ruins somewhere."  
  
"My, my, the Underground's getting crowded."  A small voice mused.  Steven stooped down to see a small yellow flower with its back towards them alone in the room they were in.  "Four new souls, and hopefully none of them are..."  The flower turned around and shrieked.  Loudly.  
  
"...Hi?"  Steven asked carefully.  "Uh, we're looking for someone.  I'm guessing you've seen them?"  
  
"You're not supposed to be here."  Flowey said.  "Chara's here.  That means that you're not supposed to be here right now, Frisk.  If Chara finds you, they'll just kill you, over and over again, until your Determination..."  He glanced over at the rest of the Crystal Gems.  "Oh.  You're back, huh?  Hey, where's your leader so she can put another barrier on this wretched place?"  
  
"I don't remember a talking flower ever being here."  Pearl muttered.  "Either way, though, we're staying until we find who we're looking for."  
  
"Asriel, do you know where Chara's at right now?"  Garnet asked.  "Have they reached Home yet?"  
  
"...Make Frisk leave this place, and then I'll consider helping you."  Flowey said after a while.  "But only if you'll help me get those human souls, too."  
  
"No deal."  Garnet replied.  "Besides, Frisk and Chara will have to fight eventually.  It's fate."  They walked through to the other room, and Garnet turned around again.  "And don't even think about following us.  Don't you have better things to do?"  
  
Flowey was silent as they continued onwards, and he sighed as he began to burrow down again.  Chara needed to know.  
***  
  
Log 003- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]  
  
Subject 002 has been quite inactive for a while, despite their monitor being active.  No signs of external life are being shown when interfering.  They have now either gone into [REDACTED] lockdown, or are using Determination to stay alive.  No current hypothesis on why.  
  
Meanwhile, Subject 003 is slowly rejecting [REDACTED].  There is no trace when doing SOUL scans, but it might just be possible that they are withholding them from tampering with their SOUL.  This isn't good, especially since [REDACTED] needs to be close to the subject's soul into order for [REDACTED] to work.  
  
Time will tell if I need to interfere.  
  
End Log 003


	4. Nightmare

Stealing multiple pieces of monster candy from a bowl that said 'take one' was not on Connie's agenda, and yet the strange force that housed the voice she kept hearing was more than happy to.  As well as slaughter every single thing in sight.

They had activated another save point(as the voice called them), cleared out a few puzzles, went back for the monster candy, and had killed possibly a total of twelve monsters before Connie finally had enough.  
  
"You know what?"  Connie said as she activated the save point again.  "I'm done with you.  Why must you destroy everything in sight?"  She walked down the hall, flipping her hair back and running her hand through it.  "This is my story, my adventure in Wonderland.  And if I must banish you away then I will.  Can't you see?  They're scared of us.  Scared of _you._ Because I know you're not meant to be here.  Even now, I feel like you've been nagging at the back of my mind for quite a while.  How long has it truly been since you've been take me over?  How long does this charade need to last?"  
  
She tossed a few coins at a spider web and grabbed the spider donut the spiders gave her.  _You don't give up easily, do you?_ The voice asked.  _What are you?  I've never seen this much determination in a single human before._   The voice gasped in awe and realization.  _Unless, of course, you're like me.  You don't belong here, too.  Am I right?  Something else entirely in a human guise.  
  
_ "If you're comparing me to you, you've got it wrong."  Connie said.  "At least I have a soul.  But, no, as far as I know, I'm human."  The force controlling her caused her to step on a wrong tile and fall downwards, landing gently on her feet next to a series of piles of leaves.  "What?  I'm guessing you don't believe me?  Fine, then.  You'll just be trapped within my memories.  I have the ability to do that, you know."  
  
With that, the voice was gone.  The presense of something strange within her was gone.  She was alone at last, the silence stifling, but calming.  
  
The rest of the Ruins went smoothly after that.  Connie was quite happy, chatting and sparing mercy to the monsters she ran into.  Not wanting into run into Toriel, she stayed away from where she felt the path was taking her.  This was several hours she felt like, until she was facing a Froggit and the mysterious voice came back, saying something she really couldn't understand...  And then  
  
She   
  
Shut  
  
Down  
  
And Died.  
  
And stayed on the ground, the voice yelling at her how she died to a _Froggit_ of all creatures, and to get up, only to realize that they were alone.  
  
With Connie nowhere in sight.  Almost like she disappeared completely, leaving her body and soul free for use.  
  
The save point.  It still worked.  Connie was gone, but not the voice.  
  
The voice inside her head that had been there since the beginning.  
  
Chara only said one thing before continuing on.  
  
"They intervened, didn't they?"  
***  
  
Connie woke up on a hard tiled floor in an extremely dark room.  She slowly sat up and looked around.  The first thing she noticed were the test tubes.  Test tubes probably weren't the right word for them, as they were quite large, covering the entire wall, and they were in more of an oval shape, half of it being built into the walls themselves.  Tube 001 was noticeably empty, but it was the only one she could see.  All the others were covered in large sheets, hazy unfocused silhouettes emitting from them.  They almost looked like...but that was impossible, wasn't it?  
  
Connie walked over to tube 001 and pressed a small button at her eye level.  Three words popped up in front of her:  
  
 **Peridot**  
Status:  Terminated  
  
Connie carefully backed away from the test tubes.  She didn't know what this place was, but now she knew she never wanted to find out the truth.  If Peridot was here, then, surely her hunch had to be right.  Fear immobilized her from doing anything else.  The determination she felt in her heart began twisting around her body like a constrictor, paralyzing her from doing anything.  
  
"What are you doing?"  A small voice asked.  Connie looked around and saw what looked a small girl, around the age of eight standing in front of the tubes.  She had long dark blue hair tied in two braids and wore a simple green-blue dress with a sideways diamond where her waist and hips met.  "You can't give up now."  She reached out her left hand, something resembling a gem on the back of it.  "Please, you must keep going."  
  
"But, what if I can't?"  Connie asked.  
  
"Well, then, you'd die."  The girl answered.  Her eyes grew blank, and her voice became more shrill.  Her body shrived up and turned green, until a giant Flowey was standing there in front of her.  "You die, and you'd die, and you'd die, until all of the Determination in your body grows into Despair.  And once that happens, the Core of your SOUL will become corrupted, and that SOUL will be mine at last.  
  
"And I know this, because you'd never kill a single thing if you could ever help it.  It's why you're scared of Yellow Diamond the most, because you would never kill anybody, even if your friends and family were destroyed, even if you kept trying for millions of years, you would never kill out of frustration.  No wonder the Crystal Gems like you so much.  You're nothing but a meat shield for them!"  
  
A disturbing, haunting laugh echoed through the halls and rung loudly in Connie's ears, never leaving even when she screamed as loud as she could to drown it out, screaming for help...  
  
...But nobody came.  
***  
  
Log 004  
  
I thought that there was no more to learn about Determination.  
  
Oh, how was I wrong.  
  
This aura is the same as Determination, only it exudes a negative energy.  The power to speed up the process of death, rather than prevent it.  Rather than Determination, it is Despair.  
  
Even after all I've done to prevent this, will I still fail his last human request to bring them all back?  With all of this Determination flooding their SOULs, I thought it would it be enough.  Enough for the girl.  Enough for his comrades.  
  
Why did I let myself go like that?  I learned this before, so long ago, that you just can't play god.  I began tampering with things I still I didn't understand.  I began to cocky in my glee that everything was going perfectly, and thus, my downfall has begun once more.  
  
Like it did with [REDACTED].  
  
I've failed him once again...  
  
End Log 004


	5. Toriel

Chara knew instantly when all of the monsters had been killed in the Ruins.  Even Napstablook, only lowering their HP just to be "nice" was finally defeated.  
  
The Ruin were empty, and Chara was alone.  
  
Which was a good thing.  Connie would've probably been trying to go back and undo everything, anyways.  Chara couldn't stand Connie, especially with locking them in her memories so casually like that.  After all, they weren't real, even if the feelings were.  
  
And yet, it was strange, not talking to anyone.  
  
Chara scoffed as they tied the faded red ribbon in Connie's hair.  _I'm going soft._ They thought.  _But, then again, it's been a while since I've had a SOUL, and never before have I had one so powerful before.  Those memories really must have taken a toll on me, is all.  
  
_ Chara looked in the room and found instantly what they were looking for.  A small plastic toy knife sat alone in the room, which they picked up with glee.  Not exactly what they craved, but a lovely substitute.  
  
And then the sky blossomed into a beautiful golden orange as the wind blew against Chara's back.  The grass lightly brushed against his fingertips.  
  
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"  Connie asked, standing next to him.  "Just to be alone, watching the sunset."  
  
"What are doing?"  Chara asked.  "What are you trying to accomplish this way?"  
  
"I want to go back there."  Connie replied.  She walked over to a nearby tree and climbed into one of one of the low hanging branches.  "I want to go back home, back to the surface.  I'm not back entirely, not in one piece just yet.  But, I do know that I just can't hide anymore.  If we're going to war, then that's what we're going to be doing."  
  
"Where did this change of heart come from?"  Chara wondered.  
  
"Look, are you going to help me or not?"  Connie replied bitterly.  "You know that my heart can't handle violence like you can.  And all of this...I'm not sure how long my Determination will last.  After all, _you don't remember a thing anymore, too, right_?"  
  
"That's right."  Chara said.  "But, this is the Inbetween.  It's only natural that this version of you would remember everything."  
  
Connie turned back and looked at Chara with wide eyes.  "What?  Are you saying that...I might've done a True Reset prematurely?  That my Despair and Determination are that much?"  Chara only nodded.  "So, I'm still unstable, then...  Very well.  Please help me get to The End peacefully, Chara.  And never return here.  I fear we may be discovered soon..."  
  
"You're constantly talking about that."  Chara responded softly.  "Who are you running from?"  Connie jumped off the tree and the world broke around her as she landed.  Chara shielded his eyes against the white that shone through, and blinked a couple times as the Ruins came back into view.  
  
"No, I know who it is."  Chara said as they picked themselves up from off the floor.  Clutching the toy knife tightly, they walked back towards Toriel's house, then passed it.  "And I know exactly why they're doing this...  Control, and power...is that all they can think about?  Connie, you wonder why I do this.  Why I kill."  
  
The ribbon slid out of Connie's hair, sending it spiraling wildly.  "It's because I'm tired of standing around doing nothing.  I'm tired of being the pacifist you so tiredly crave of being.  If an endless wave of death will make them stop, then I will make them stop."  Chara picked up the ribbon and tied it around their hand and wrist.  "If the Story must continue in this path, then nothing good will come.  However, a stone in a river is enough to change its course.  I'm sending an avalanche their way."  
  
They looked over the Ruins and smiled.  "I promised you to get to The End.  And I'm going to keep that promise, no matter what."  They withdrew Connie's soul and held it in their hand.  "Even if everyone else dies, even if this World crumbles around you, and all your friends die, and your Determination rots away into Despair, I will still be by your side.  Do you understand?"  Connie's eyes began glowing crimson red.  "I will make this World into what you truly wanted!"  
***  
  
Toriel rushed out of her house, phone in hand.  It had been quite a while since she had called her guest, and she hadn't heard anything from them, either.  Oh, what if they had left the room to solve those puzzles?  They could've gotten hurt, or killed!  Or, maybe they were lost, like...  
  
Or they could just be standing calmly in front of the giant tree in front of Toriel's home.  Toriel let out a sigh of relief and straightened her sleeves nervously.  
  
"Oh, hi, Miss Toriel!"  Connie said happily.  
  
"Oh, my child, I shouldn't have left you for so long."  Toriel said nervously, running over to her.  "That was quite irresponsible of me, trying to surprise you like this.  Are you hurt?  Any injuries?"  She looked around her for any wounds.  "Oh?  Not a scratch.  I'm quite impressed."  She bent down to look at Connie's eyes.  "Hm, I never noticed, but your eyes are an interesting color.  I thought they were black, but they're actually red.  They're very pretty, though!"  She walked along the path and beckoned for Connie to follow.  
  
Connie looked around for a little bit, activate a save point, and walked in after Toriel.  She was a once washed over by a lovely smell reminiscent of a bakery.  
  
"I baked you a butterscotch-cinnamon pie!"  Toriel explained happily.  "I want you to have a good time living here.  Also, over here.  I want you to see something."  She grabbed Connie's hand gently and took her over to a small door at the start of the hallway.  "This is your room, my child."  She glanced at her sideways as she pet her hair softly, smiling.  "Go on and make yourself at home.  I'll be around if you need me for anything."  
  
Connie went into her new room as Toriel left and sighed contently.  It was a rather small room, but was quite pretty, done in warm golds.  She tried to look around, but ended up just crashing on the bed and falling asleep.  It had been a quite tiring day for her, after all.  
  
But as she thought that, she realized that she actually had no idea whether or not it was night or day, or how many hours she had been in the Underground.  However, she couldn't focus on it for too long.  Her mind was getting heavy, and she just closed her eyes for only a moment...  
***  
  
What happens here, changes what happens out there.  Remember that.  
  
The one pulling the strings is not kind.  They don't give "hints" to the "answer," even if it seems like that.  What they say might be the truth, but it might be complicating things even more.  
  
And yet, you're still confused about everything going on.  Almost everything.  
  
A sliver of the truth has been revealed.  Can you find it?    
  
Don't give up, Connie.  After all, you are the key to everyone's fate.  Haven't you noticed?  She can't do anything to you.  Only he can.  
  
Don't you know what this means?  
  
You're the only one safe from the Storyteller.  
  
You're the only one who can save this World.  
  
You can't make this the ending for this World, and you know that.  Play along for a while.  It's the best you can do in this Game.  
***  
  
Connie woke up to find the lights off, but she could still see.  She got up and picked up the saucer on the ground, with a piece of butterscotch cinnamon pie on it, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.  She smiled.  
  
"I should probably get something to put all this stuff in."  Connie muttered aloud.  Turning on the light again, she rummaged through the closet until she found a small, dusty from age messenger bag.  She put the monster candy, stick, and bandage--something else from Toriel--into the bag, and adjusted the strap until it fit her properly.  
  
Chara took over after that, finding a small dark blue skirt, as well as a small sewing box.  They made a small pocket in the dress, large enough for the toy knife to fit, put the dress back on, and slid the toy knife into the pocket.  
  
"You're really good with sewing."  Connie remarked, admiring Chara's handiwork.  
  
"My mom taught me and my brother how to sew on buttons and things, so we could do it ourselves."  Chara explained.  "Then, I just read about sewing and stuff.  In fact, once, my brother and I made this really goofy-looking sweater for our dad.  It looked horrible, but he loved it anyway."  They let out a small chuckle.  "I wonder if he still has it.  He probably does..."  
  
Connie sat down on the bed again and swung her legs back and forth.  "You sound like you loved them very much.  And they, you."  
  
"Yeah."  Chara said after a while.  "I guess we did.  We were always happy like that.  Even the smallest achievements were celebrated like big feats."  
  
"It's so different from mine."  Connie said.  "You practically have to earn any affection in my house.  Not to mention that I'm mostly alone because of my parents' busy schedules.  I mean, they still love me, and so do I, it's just that it's not a soft, constant love, like your family was like."  
  
"I saw that in your memories."  Chara replied.  "It was quite interesting."  
  
Connie stood up.  "Well, let's look around a bit, shall we?"  Chara agreed, and after snooping around in Toriel's room, went down into the basement.  
  
Only to be stopped by Toriel, saying that it wasn't safe to be in the basement.  That there was nothing to see down there, that it was just better to stay upstairs.  
  
Every time they tried to go down to the basement, Toriel stopped them, and so, they just gave up trying, and went on to the kitchen.  
  
Chara opened up one of the cabinets and looked inside.  It was full of cookie cutters of various shapes and sizes.  
  
"Where are the knives?"  Chara muttered, moving them around slightly.  "She used to keep them here..."  
  
"Is there everything alright in there?"  Toriel asked from the other room.  "You're making quite a bit of noise."  
  
"No, I'm fine."  Connie quickly said, taking over before Chara could say anything.  "Something just fell out one of the cabinets.  I'm putting it back now."  She closed the cabinet.  
  
There was silence from Toriel, meaning she took the bait.  Connie stepped back from the cabinet, then knelt down and opened it again.  She closed it and began looking around a bit.  
  
"Yeah, that is weird."  She said softly.  "Where _are_ the knives...?"  
***  
  
"So, how do get out of the Ruins?  I want to know."  
  
"Please excuse me, my child.  I...have something to do."  
  
Chara watched the retreating form of Toriel as she hurriedly got up and left the room.  They gripped the toy knife to make sure it was still there and stood up, only to slide out of the way of a large beam, followed by three more.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?"  Chara asked.  The mysterious figure in black stepped back out of the shadows, a blue flame lit in their right eye.  
  
" **I could ask you the same**."  The mysterious figure replied, the smile evident in their speech.  " **You're surely not going to kill her?** "  
  
"I didn't mean in that regard."  Chara answered.  "You're sequence breaking, aren't you?  My, you really want to die, huh?  To be so bold as to sequence break so blatantly like this...  What are they doing out there?"  
  
" **Look, just be careful, alright?** "  The figure asked.  " **You might just end up having a bad time.** "  
  
"Get out of here."  Chara growled.  "Before I decide to just kill you now."  They took the knife out and held it up menacingly, then just charged towards the figure, knife flailing around wildly.  "You know what, we can either just keep going in circles like this, or we can just make this a lot easier."  Their movements became more erratic with each swing of the toy, throwing their whole body into each failed attack.  
  
" **Well, that was fun.** "  The figure quipped.  " **Come and kill me when it's the right time, alright?** "  They disappeared before Chara could properly aim the knife to throw at them.  They began shaking violently, and dropped the knife as they realized what was happening.  
  
"Why is this happening...?"  Chara asked.  "What's going on?"  
  
The door to the house opened, and Chara quickly picked up the toy knife and got into an attack stance, still shaking.  They relaxed instantly as soon as they saw it was the Gems.  
  
"Connie, there you are!"  Steven said.  He went over and hugged his friend.  "We've been looking all over for you.  Although, it wasn't very hard, considering that we haven't seen anything but a crazy talking flower."  He let go and looked and Connie.  "Connie, you're very quiet.  Is...is something wrong...?"  
  
Connie was still quiet.  She backed away slightly, then glanced at Steven, her eyes not visible, but still felt like they cut through him.  
  
It was then that Connie lunged at Steven, screaming and swinging the toy knife around.  Steven pulled up his shield and started blocking her hits.  Connie struck the wall and dragged the knife downwards, leaving a strange black and blue rip in it.  With each swing, the knife would get stuck, and more holes and rips appeared around them.  
  
"Chara, that's enough."  Garnet said after a while, grabbing their arm.  "Don't you see what you're doing?"  
  
"...Chara?"  Steven echoed.  "But, then, why do they look like Connie...?"  
  
"Let go of me!"  Chara shouted.  They flung Garnet back slightly.  "I don't care what's going on, just that Frisk needs to get out of here."  Memories of Steven when they were locked in Connie's memories became flooding back, and it soon became unbearable.  Tears threatened to spill from their eyes.  "Why did you bring him here?"  
  
Steven tried to grab the knife from Chara, but Chara saw him before that and struck him with the knife, causing a small cut on his cheek to spread and bleed.  
  
"Why do you keep trying to get yourself involved in this, Frisk?"  Chara shouted, tears streaming down their face.  "Why do you think that you can just sacrifice yourself and EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY?!"  
  
"I still don't understand..."  Steven muttered softly.  Chara lifted the knife to get another hit in.  "I _just don't understand any of this!_ "  He stopped shouting as Chara dropped the knife onto the ground with a dull thud.  "Three people now have called me Frisk, and everybody here seems to know me, and I just don't get what's going on in this crazy place!  All I want is for somebody to explain to me why I'm connected to this place..."  
  
Chara took a step forward towards Steven, then fell to the ground.  Steven ran towards them and put his hands on their shoulders.  "Why...?"  Chara asked, not looking up.  Tears fell onto the hardwood floor.  "Why do you keep being...so _nice_ to me?  I just don't understand it...  After all, you're not the one...this World needs..."  
  
"Um, I know this probably isn't the right time to ask, but what are these rips everywhere?"  Pearl asked, looking around.  "Whatever they are, they seem to be shrinking right now, which is good...but still..."  
  
"Oh, those."  Chara said, looking up and wiping their eyes.  "I guess Connie's Determination's still too strong for me to control.  They're space-time rips.  I've never had a SOUL as strong as Connie's before.  I suppose I let the emotions finally get to me."  They walked over to the basement stairs.  "Don't you want to see the rest of the Underground?  Follow me."  
  
The Gems followed Chara down the stairs and down a long hallway to see Toriel, preparing a series of fire attacks against a large door in front of her.  She turned around and frowned slightly.  
  
"I would've thought you'd be up in your room right now, considering how long it took you to get down here."  Toriel said.  "Well, if you want to go home so badly, then you're just going to prove to me how strong you are."  She summoned away the attacks against the door and stood boldly, preparing a magical attack.  
  
Connie was back in charge again, Chara letting her handle it.  "I don't want to fight."  She said, standing her ground.  Toriel was silent.  "Look, I'm not fighting you, okay, Toriel?  Stop this already!"  A barrage of fireballs flew towards her soul, and dodged them well, but not excellently.  She got hit a few times, but not enough to be considered major damage.  "Please, accept my mercy."  
  
"What are you doing?"  Toriel asked.  "What are you trying to prove this way?"  
  
"That there's more than one way to be strong!"  Connie shouted.  She stumbled as she got slammed by a wave of fire.  "That you don't always have to fight!"  
  
"No, there's not!"  Toriel said, sending another wave of fire with her hands.  "Now, fight me or run away!"  
  
"I'd never run away from battle!"  Connie replied, narrowly missing the fireballs.  Chara took over again and charged at her, stabbing and slashing away.  "But, I will fight."  
  
Toriel gasped as she stumbled backwards, coughing.  She knelt down on one knee, a slash cut into her cheek.  "Ha...yes, my child, you are quite strong.  In fact, I'm shocked.  All this time, I thought I was protecting you from harm, by keeping you here..."  She suddenly wore a vicious grin.  "But, instead, I was protecting _them_ from _you_!"  She doubled over again in pain, and let out a weak laugh as she slowly dissolved into dust, and faded away.  
  
Toriel's SOUL hung in the air, and just as Chara reached out to touch it, it broke, then shattered into pieces.  
  
It was that moment when something broke inside Connie, and she let out a horrific scream, waves of darkness streaming off her.  She crouched in a fetal position, her scream dying and turning into laughter.  It was so loud and insane, and she couldn't stop.  Tears rolled down her face.  
  
It  
  
felt  
  
so   
  
GOOD  
  
to   
  
kill.  
  
The waves grew longer, and there was a great burst of energy, Connie's eyes slowing turning into indescribable colors of iridescence.  A new wave of power washed over her, this one much better than anything she ever felt.  It quickly took her over, her mind being filled with strange and unknown thoughts.  She began to say things unknown to her, laughing the entire time.  
  
"That's enough of this."  A calming voice rang out.  A large chain of some sort fell around the Gems and Connie, and the waves of darkness stopped as Connie slowly gained clarity.  Her SOUL felt lighter as she looked up and saw a very familiar face, surrounded by bright pink flames.  The flames died down slightly, reducing to an aura.  
  
Standing in font of her was a slightly transparent Rose Quartz.  Steven stood unresponsive, his eyes opaque glowing the same color as his gem.  His gem glowed dully, as did Rose's.  
  
"I won't let you destroy your SOUL, Maheswaran."  Rose said.  "After all, you're the key to everything, the one pure heart.  The True Pacifist."  
  
"But, how can I be a true pacifist if I'm killing everything in my way?"  Connie protested.  "What I need to do is RESET..."  A flaming blue aura surrounded her, but Rose walked over and placed her hand on her shoulders, making her stop.  
  
"Now's not the time for a reset, Connie."  Rose gently replied.  "In actuality, we're using you and Chara as a diversion.  We're trying to find a weak spot in their defenses, so just play along and keep doing whatever you have to do for now."  
  
"But, why Connie?"  Pearl asked, stepping forward.  "Why make her go through all this?  Why not one of us, when we're stronger and used to this?"  
  
"Because humans can't infiltrate Gem SOULs."  Chara replied.  "Besides, she's Maheswaran.  She needs to see all of this.  Although, I am hiding these memories.  She doesn't need to know anything else that happened here." They ran one hand through Connie's hair and flipped it back quickly.  "But anyway, that Despair Burst drained her quite a lot.  It might take her a while to get back to normal.  I'll physically disable her for a bit until she regains all of her strength.  If she keeps going like this, she might drain all of her Determination, and we don't want that."  
  
Chara pushed open the doors, then stopped.  "Why must you insist on torturing him like this?"  
  
Rose frowned slightly.  "I'm torturing him?"  
  
"Yes."  Chara said shortly.  "Now then, before I _make_ you go away..."  
  
"I'll always be here, Chara.  Just like all the other times...~"  Rose said singsong-like and disappeared in a stream of flames.  
  
"Well, well, I thought you were here."  Flowey said.  He sat contentedly in the center of the room, a malicious smile in his face.  "Chara, how good it is too see you after all these years?"  
  
"Were you aware that Frisk was here?"  Chara asked.  
  
"Well, yes, but by the time I reached you, you were already with _her_.  I didn't want her to see me again, after all."  Flowey quickly explained.  "Listen, I have an idea to become all powerful."  
  
"I'm already liking this."  Chara mused.  "What do I do?"  
  
"You're quite on your way."  Flowey said.  "Let's show them all this surface world means nothing.  That it's still kill or be killed!"  The flower let out a laugh.  _"Why,_ t _hat's a wonderful idea!_ "  
***  
  
Log 006- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]  
  
Subject 101- Toriel:  Status:  Terminated.  
  
The Ruins are now empty, as expected.  [REDACTED] is doing a fine job with [REDACTED].  It won't be long now until that [REDACTED] is mine, and I'll be able to [REDACTED].  
  
The Storyteller seems anxious about something, but it's how they usually act these days.  I'm not particularly worried about them.  
  
Yet.  
  
Either way, Phase 1 is moving along smoothly.  I'm glad.  However, now we reach the second sector, the one belonging to [REDACTED].  
  
I don't want to interfere here, but...they're going to be doing something to mess everything up.  
  
I know how they act.  
  
End Log 006


	6. Storyteller's Log 1

Log 001

 

Phase 1 is beginning.  The experiment:  Keeping [FILE CORRUPTED].  The control subject, Subject 003, is reacting nicely to the excess amount.  We shall be continuing with this amount and pushing it to the other experiment subjects soon.

The doctor is pleased to see the strange effects because of the [FILE CORRUPTED], but it makes me worried.  The fact that not only can Subject 003 [FILE CORRUPTED], but also [FILE CORRUPTED] is simply astounding.  As a Storyteller, I find this power simply incredible.  However, it appears already that there are several...defects with this power, as well.  Subject 003 is completely unaware of it as of right now, but others are picking up on it, Subject 102 in particular.  Time will tell if this will change.

***

Log 002

There appears to be a strange anomaly that is able to escape [FIlE CORRUPTED].  It calls itself “Flowey,” but the doctor calls it “Asriel.”  It, too, seems to know everything Subject 102 knows, and then some.

Like what we’ve been doing all this time.

And what we were supposed to be doing in the first place.

It doesn’t die.  I’ve tried, several times.  It just keeps coming back, even if I hack it up into nothing.

It just comes back.  It always comes back.

The doctor says to just leave it alone, but I feel uneasy about it.  They could ruin everything we’ve done, exceptionally easily, and we could do nothing to stop it at all.

It just keeps coming back.  There’s nothing we can do to stop it.  Gloating at our failures, warning us the dangers of success.  Telling us that we need to stop, that this was not the intended purpose.

It just doesn’t understand.

Understand that what we’re doing...can and will change the world.

***

Log 003

It was the doctor’s idea to get rid of the scout.

The doctor said that they could easily find out what was really going on, so I had no choice but to obey.  Even though they were a subject, they needed to be terminated.  The doctor had no problems with it, of course.  They see the subjects as disposable, after all.

That Gem girl came back again today.  She always seems interested in the subjects, 003 and 002 in particular.

Today, she talked to what she calls [FILE CORRUPTED], Subject 102.  She talked about things I’ve never heard about, in words I didn’t understand, then turned to me and said these words:

“Why do you trust [FILE CORRUPTED]?  Do you even know what they have done here?  The things they have done in the past...the sins and Despair that corrupt their SOUL…”

They stopped talking for a moment, then continued.

“Wait...thinking about it, do they still have it?  Surely not…”

And then she walked away without another word.

***

Log 004

The darkness keeps growing

Whatever is pulling the strings here

Is being

Quite

Harsh to us

But aren’t we the one to be pulling the strings?

We are Storytellers

We are the one to pull the strings

Who

Would

Do

Such

A

Thing

Just to stop us fulfilling our wish

His wish

His human prayer to have such power that we needed to complete it

We have to complete it

There is no choice

We need to

Fulfill that wish

But I wonder

Did we fail?

I

Have

A

Feeling…

***

Log 005

If you could have anything in the world in just one wish, would you make that wish?  And if you did, what would you wish for?

Would you be able to comprehend all that happened afterwards, as a result of that wish?  Would you crumble under the pressure of the effects that your wish made?

Most would say something like “but that’s ridiculous, right?  After all, don’t I control what I wish for, and therefore, the consequences of that wish?”

What bullshit lies we tell ourselves to hide the truth.

We know that for each action we make, there is always an equal and opposite reaction for that to make up for it.  If you were to wish for world peace, a war would eventually break out ending it, or a large amount of people would die just for that wish to come true.

We just tell ourselves that everything will be alright because we’re spineless, pacifistic optimists.  We don’t like thinking about negative things.

But, some make wishes like that.  Some of us make wishes to become powerful, to control things.

To pull the strings on something they don’t yet fully understand.

How stupid was I, to think that everything would be alright…?

Now look at this.

My future is ruined.  I have no future.  Only this infernal loop that just keeps going.  We’re broken, and there’s no way to fix us.

But, I know you can help.  You have the power to make us whole again, to end this once and for all.  If you made a wish and a contract right now, you could probably even stop all of this from ever happening.  Not just the Underground.  The incoming war, too.  Perhaps, even, you could bring her back, too...All that depends on is what wish you make.

Your prayer is the only thing left to save this world.  So, please, if you could just think about it, just for a little while.

...What about her?  No, she has Determination, and plenty to spare, but it’s too unstable.  One wrong move, and she could easily end up cursing herself and in the end, destroying everything.  But, you...you have her Determination as well as your own.  Your power is perhaps the greatest I’ve seen from one of your kind.  You are the only hope for this world.

However, there is one thing about this.

There is something you will be told in the near future.  Something that will make you change your mind on all of this.  Don’t let it distract you.  You will have to do this in the end in order to break the cycle.

Why can’t you not do it?  I’ve seen you try without not doing it beforehand.  Every time, it ends in death.

You will be told to never do it if you value your life.  But, what if it’s so you could live a greater life, as well as everyone around you?  Would you still be willing to take that chance and make that wish, even if it means giving up your life?

Heh.  I know in the end, you most definitely will.

Don’t let them follow the path they are on.

Remember that.

They cannot spread their wrath of genocide to the ends of this World.

Do not allow them to, for our sakes...

***

Log 006

The Ruins are empty.

This was to be expected, of course.  Subject 003 is holding [FILE CORRUPTED] in their SOUL.

So, now, the Ruins are abandoned.  I doubt anyone would stay there now, as well.  Dust from the fallen monsters coats even the walls.

...How can the doctor just talk about this so casually?  It’s horrible, what’s happening right now.  The doctor doesn’t see these as living beings, just as simple experiments that don’t feel anything.

I understand now.

I know that what we’re doing is wrong.

...The doctor can’t see this at all.  If they think something’s wrong with me, if they find out that my soul and feelings are getting in the way of precious research...I would be...I…

They can’t see this.  They can’t know that I’m doubting the morality of our research.

But, I can operate from the shadows.  Yes, I have no choice but to interfere at this point.  Keep sparing...keep saving them…

I will be the one to SAVE this World from [FILE CORRUPTED]’s destruction.

I shall be the Angel of Life in this Story!  Me, and no one else shall get in my way!

Yes, that shall be my destiny as the Story unfolds…


	7. Snowdin

Chara pushed opened the doors widely and peered out at the expanse in front of them.

“Well, what are facing next?”  Steven asked, peering over his former friend’s shoulder.  “Woods?  And...snow?”

“Cold.”  Chara replied calmly.  “Lots of cold.”  They fastened the messenger bag a little bit and looked back at the Gems.  “Once you leave, there’s really no going back to the Ruins.  If there’s anything you need to do, do it now.  We’ll be going up ahead to Snowdin.  Avoid the skeletons as much as you can, especially the smaller one.  He’s...quite...interesting.”

Garnet grabbed Chara’s shoulder.  “What makes you think we’re leaving you alone?”

“Oh, you don’t decide that, trust me.”  Chara replied, chuckling softly.  They brushed Garnet’s hand off easily.  “If they think you’re being a nuisance, or influencing me wrongly, they’d surely intervene.  Like with Connie and her making me discover…’feelings.’  Why else do you think she’s been silent all this time?”

“Connie’s much stronger than you!”  Steven finally shouted, upset.  “And I’m sure than she can get you to change your mind!  I’m sure that you will eventually see...why...why this World is important!  I just know it!  I...I...”

Chara jumped over towards Steven and pointed the toy knife at his neck.  “You really don’t understand how this works, do you?  You are Frisk.  If we were to ever meet, I would instantly kill you faster than you could say ‘I don’t want to fight.’  But, I’m sparing you only to keep Connie alive.  I can’t infiltrate Gem SOULS.  I’m using Connie as a human vessel.  That’s the only reason you aren’t dead, Frisk.”  Chara stepped back and walked through the snow away from them.  “I’m going on ahead.  Don’t even think about following me, or stopping me, for that matter.”  They stopped walking and turned around.  “That’s the most surefire way to get yourself killed.”

The Gems were silent as they watched Chara walk away into the woods, and finally, Pearl closed the door and walked upstairs.  The others followed suit as they settled around the still-going fireplace, Amethyst occasionally poking it with the fire poker.  Steven just watched the flames dance around, entranced by how something so familiar could seem so strange at the same time.  He frowned slightly at the dust on his sandals, and brushed it off, being careful not to get it close to the fire, making sure to have it near her armchair, around her bookshelf full of snail books.  He grabbed one off the shelf, perhaps out of sheer curiosity, perhaps just to stifle the horribly uncomfortable silence around the house that would always remain empty.

“Hey, you guys, so…”  Steven said, looking through the book.  “I took off a snail’s shell the other day.  I thought it might’ve one faster like that.  Um, if anything, it was more sluggish.  Get it?  Because a snail...looks like a slug...without…”  Pearl just looked at him tiredly.  “Um...uh...hold on…”  Steven began flipping through the pages again.  “Uh...you know, there was...um...a snail...driving a car the other day.  The car was really fast.  With a giant ‘S’ on the hood.  People all day kept saying to me, ‘Wow, did you see that s car go?’  Heh heh…”  Still more apathetic glances.  “Do you wanna...hear a snail fact…?”

“Just shut up about the snails, Steven!”  Amethyst snapped.  “Toriel’s dead, and she’s never coming back, and you’re just going to have to get over that!  I know this is hard, but this is basically our life!  It’s always been our life!  Do you know how much pain we’ve gone through, how many Gems we had to watch shatter in front of our faces, how many former friends we watched corrupt and turn into monsters?  Death is just a part of our job, Steven, and you’re just going to have to _suck it up_!”

“You...you weren’t even _there_ for the war, Amethyst!”  Steven yelled, and ran into the room Connie had stayed in, slamming the door.

Pearl got up from in front of the armchair and knocked on the door.  “Steven, it’s me, Pearl.  Do you want to talk about this?”  The door opened slightly.  “Look, I know it seems like we don’t care about this, but we actually really do.  Listen, there’s something we need to tell you, something that we made you forget a long time ago.  The reason everyone calls you Frisk, why everyone thinks that you’re some powerful being is because when you were a lot younger, we took you on picnics here on Mt. Ebott.  One day, you ran away from us when we weren’t looking, and you fell into the Underground.  Toriel found you, and she took care of you here.  You were so happy, but you were never supposed to know about this place.  Humans today hate monsters with all their hearts, and the monsters hate us as well as them, so we never taught you how to undo the Barrier, to protect them.”

“But, what does this have to do with me?”  Steven asked, opening the door wider.

“There is a prophecy behind the Delta Rune, that symbol we’ve been seeing all over the place.”  Garnet replied, walking over.  “The One Who has Seen the Surface will return, and the Underground will go empty.  Some say it’s someone with a pure heart who will find a way to destroy the Barrier, others think it’s an angel of death who will kill everything in sight.  In reality, it’s both.  The one named Frisk, after a human who nearly succeeded several hundred years ago, only to mysteriously disappear, is the one who is a reincarnation of a loved one past.  You, Steven, are Frisk.”

“So, then, if I’m Frisk, then what’s Connie?”  Steven asked.

“The thing possessing her is what’s left of the first child that fell in the Underground, and the angel of death in the prophecy.”  Pearl explained.  “A soulless husk known as Chara.  Chara wants humanity to suffer, to atone for whatever sins they might’ve done.  To suffer like he did.  Even though he was cared for like a son, it just wasn’t enough for him.  He wanted power, and would stop at nothing to attain it.”

“But, he has to stop eventually, right?”  Steven asked.  “I mean, can’t he realize that what he’s doing is wrong?  Does he know?  Does he…?”

“He doesn’t have a SOUL.”  Garnet said gently.  “He can’t feel anything.  So, no.”  She pet Steven’s hair affectionately and walked towards the basement.  “We’ve wasted enough time here.  Despite what Chara said, Connie would surely appreciate us trying to save at least a few monsters.  Let’s get to Snowdin.”

***

Log 007- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]

Just as thought, Determination acts the same as energy or matter:  It can’t be created or destroyed, rather, it is absorbed through the air into the body’s SOUL, and can either be turned into Despair or expelled from the body entirely.  The latter seems more common as the host of the Determination energy dies, causing a massive energy wave to spread out in a wide radius.

It also appears that some’s Despair, like Subject 003’s, can also manifest even further.  It appears to be a combination of strong negative emotions and a large influx of Despair that is both being released out of the body and being turned from Determination.  As much as I would love to do further research on this, it appears to put massive strain on the host’s SOUL and Core of Being, completely shutting them down for a certain period of time.

I wonder, too, if there’s a way for the same to occur with Determination.  It would make sense, as Determination and Despair are inverses of each other.  So, that state would most likely be caused by strong positive emotions and a large influx of Determination both being released from the body and from being turned from Despair.

However, I couldn’t interfere just for the sake of research.  I’ll just have to wait for it to either to actually happen naturally, or “accidentally” cause it to happen if Subject 003 decides to take a little too much control again.

End Log 007

***

Connie was finally awake again, but still had no control.  She couldn’t even think, she felt so numb.  But, she could at least feel the cold wind on her skin, and the snow crunching beneath her feet.  And she could see, but only just a little.  And

All

Of

It

Hurt

So

Much.

“Oh, you’re finally back.”  Chara said.  “We’re outside the Ruins now.  Fifteen left.  How are you doing?”

“ _Hu_ RTs t _O_ Th _InK_ …”  Connie managed to muster.  “Co _LD_... _TUn_ nel v _Isi_ O _N_ …”

“Don’t force yourself.”  Chara replied.  “Your SOUL is still weak from all that Despair.  Just rest for a bit.  And yes, I’m letting you watch.  You should know what’s going on.”  They stopped.  Slow, steady footprints sounded from behind them.  They continued on, moving faster, until they reached a small bridge, where they slowed down.  “Who’s there?”

“ **Hmph**.”  The person following them said.  “ **Don’t you know how to greet a new pal, human**?”

“I personally don’t care for…’ _pals_ ’.”  Chara said.

“ **Well, you have one**.”  They replied.  “ **Now, turn around and shake my hand**.”

Chara sighed.  “Your call, Connie.  What do you want to do?”  Connie took a step to the side, and slowly, unsteadily, turned to face the mysterious monster, holding out her hand.  The monster took her hand…

...And the sound of a whoopee cushion filled the silent forest.

“heh heh heh”  The monster, a skeleton about Steven’s height, laughed.  They wore a plain light blue hoodie, a pair of black sweatpants, and pink house slippers.  A strange combination, Connie thought.  “ah, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick.  it’s a classic, you know?”

Chara was silent, and Connie was reduced to just watching again.

“um, that’s your cue to laugh.”  The monster said after a while.  “or, you know, emote.  oh, well, everyone’s tastes are different.  i’m sans, by the way.  sans the skeleton.  i’m supposed to be on the lookout for humans right now, but eh, we never find any, and i don’t really care.  but, my brother papyrus on the other hand...he’s a little, uh, obsessed with it.  but, that’s fine.  just go through this gate thing.”

 _Wait...doesn’t he know…?_  Connie thought.  Chara ignored her.

Sans and Chara walked across the bridge into a small clearing, where Sans gasped.

“that’s papyrus over there.  quick, there’s a really conveniently-shaped lamp over there.  hide behind it.”  Sans said.  Chara took three steps towards it and stopped.  “or not.  whatever works, i guess.”

Papyrus was a complete foil to Sans in terms of appearance.  He was tall, almost as tall as Garnet, and quite lanky.  He wore an oversized white shirt with some kind of crest on it, blue shorts(?), as well as a red-orange scarf around his neck and a pair of boots of the same color.  Any bones, save his head and hands, that were exposed to the elements were covered in black leotard-like fabric.  His hands were covered with white gloves with red-orange trim.

 _Complementary colors, too…_  Connie thought.   _They really_ are _foils_.

“Sans?”  Papyrus called.  “Have you found a human yet?”

“actually, yeah, i have.”  Sans replied, winking with his left eye.

“Wowie!”  Papyrus said, excited.  “Well, glad that’s settled!”  With that, he walked off, happily humming.

“I’d better get going.”  Chara said, and walked away, as well.  “Suppose I’ll see you around.”

“wait.”  Sans said, stopping them.  “before you go.  i think my brother would really like to see a human.  he’s been down a lot lately.  i think it would cheer him up a lot, so...if you could just keep pretending to be human, that’d be great.”

Connie finally gained control from Chara.  “But, I am a human.  Why are you…?”

“oh, i know that, connie.  it _is_ connie, right?  i know _you’re_ human.”  Sans said.  His eyes suddenly went blank.  “ **It’s the other one I’m sure that isn’t.  Keep an eye on them.  I wouldn’t want you getting caught in the crossfire, after all**.”

Sans walked off after that, in the opposite direction.  Connie continued on silently.  She didn’t have enough strength to lock Chara away yet, anyway, but he seemed quite content with letting her be in charge for once.

The only exception being, of course, when it came to confronting monsters.

“By the way, we have eight left.”  Chara said at one point as they walked on.  They had found a box, free for use, and got a new weapon from it, the Tough Glove.  Connie also made sure to put the pie in the box, against Chara’s wishes.  Other than that moment, she hadn’t really been paying attention to what was happening.  Chara was mostly in charge.

Lesser Dog bounded up to them, happy and just waiting to be pet.  Connie barely had anytime to react before Lesser Dog curled up in fear and turned to dust.  

“Make that seven.”  Chara corrected, wiping the dust from the glove.  “Luckily, we won’t have any more interruptions from the skeletons for a while, so getting rid of those seven monsters should be pretty easy.”

They tore apart a snowman and managed to kill three monsters before coming upon the brothers again.

“Guess I was wrong.”  Chara muttered.  “Dammit.”

“Sans, when’s the human getting here?”  Papyrus asked.  He paced back and forth for a little bit.  “I want to look my best for them.”

Sans shrugged and shook his head.  “they’re going to be here soon, i’m sure.”  He glanced over towards Connie, standing still, a strange expression of apathy and innocence on her face.  “oh, hey, i think there’s something over there.”  Papyrus looked around, confused.  “behold.  right in front of us.”

Papyrus frowned.  “OH MY GOD!  Sans, that’s a rock.  Why are we looking at a rock?”

Connie lost control and just simply stood there, a soft wind blowing through her hair.  Chara resisted the urge to smile with malice.

Sans blinked for a second.  “well, i think there’s something in front of the rock.”

“Oh, yeah, I see that.”  Papyrus responded.  “...I don’t know what that is.”

“well, there’s one thing we do know about it.”  Sans said, winking.  “and that’s it’s not a rock, that’s for sure.”

Papyrus glanced over towards Chara with curiosity, stepping forward a little.  “You’re right, it’s not a rock.  But, then…”  He gasped.  “Then, if it’s not a rock, then can only mean one thing!”  He struck a heroic pose and pointed at Chara, an ambitious grin on his skull, completely changing auras.

But still sounding exactly the same.

“Human!”  Papyrus declared.  “Prepare yourself, for I, the great Papyrus, shall go to great lengths to capture you!  Yes, you shall experience hijinks, and lojinx, and any other jink in between!  There shall be traps, and puzzles, and refreshments, but only if you dare on that last one.”

Chara attempted to walk away as Papyrus was speaking, only for Connie to stop them.

Papyrus, too, noticed Chara’s failed escape.

“Are you trying to run away as I’m speaking?”  Papyrus asked, incredulous.  “You must be terrified, then!  See, Sans, I told you that the human was intimidated by my entrance!  Nyeh heh heh!”  With that, he ran off.

Sans glanced at where Papyrus had gone to and then back at Chara.  “yeah, sure.  that’s probably it.”

He sighed.  “and you don’t even bat an eye during all that, huh?  you must have quite an interesting life on the surface…”  His entire demeanor changed to defensive.  “...That I know you stole from her.”

“Why do you always remember everything?”  Chara asked.  “Even after this...it was the same as a True Reset.”

“You know they like me best.”  Sans replied coolly.  “The doctor wouldn’t dare let the resets affect me.  Besides, you know very well why exactly I’m not affected.  You’ve seen that room, too.  I know that much.  You can’t deny it anymore.  Maheswaran will remember everything, and that will be your downfall.  The doctor’s, too, once she realizes the truth.”

Chara was silent.

Sans was quite pleased with the result.  “nothing to say, hm?  that doesn’t seem like you at all.  maybe you have been growing soft, after all.”  With that, he laughed and walked off.

However, what Chara said next made him stop.

“Well, at least I don’t sequence break, unlike you.”  Chara retorted.  “In fact, you did it _twice_ in this timeline, if I’m remembering it correctly.  Not to mention all the other times you’ve tried to kill me before.”

“...You’re really trying me now, kid.”  Sans said.  He snapped his fingers, a small blue flame lighting up in his hand and his left eye.  “Let’s see how long you can last in a fight now, **shall we**?”

“I’m sorry.”  Connie blurted out.  “Chara’s out of my control, and my soul’s corrupted.  I took in a lot of despair earlier, and I’m just recovering from it.  I have the ability to lock them in my memories, but I’m still not strong enough to keep them in there for long.”

The flames died out.

“But, please, if you could…”  Connie said quietly.  A cold wind blew through her hair against her back.  “...Could you at least tell Papyrus to be careful?  I know that I’d just be delaying the inevitable, I’m playing around with a game of cheating death that I myself know that I’m eventually going to fall prey to in the end, but still, knowing that I at least tried…  I think that would be nicer than just letting him die without any sort of effort.”

“i’ll see what i can do.”  Sans replied, smiling slightly.  “it’s nice that you care about everyone so much.  for a human, you’re really kind.  a little too kind, if you ask me.  be careful about that.  it might just lead to your downfall.”

Connie nodded and muttered a small, confused “okay” as Sans walked off, towards...the trees…?  There was no clear path there, and Papyrus had continued on the path that stretched out in front of them.  Why was he walking through the thicker part of the woods?

Connie took a couple steps forward, then stopped.  There was something glistening in the snow where Sans had been.  He must’ve dropped it when he walked off.  Connie picked it up and looked at it.  A box?  That’s what it looked like, anyway.  The brightest shade of white Connie had ever seen, the box seemed to twist around and glow in her hand.  In fact, she hadn’t even had picked it up, it appeared to levitate in her grasp.  Strange symbols appeared on all sides, glowing and pulsing black, static filled whispers blocking all other sound.

It was such a strange source of power, this box.  She felt like she was being filled and spilling over with Determination, her entire body being consumed with energy.  Gravity even seemed to lose its hold on her, she felt like she was floating upwards.  The world beneath her seemed to twist and distort, losing any and all color it had before.  Connie let out a sly smile, then a short giggle.  The giggle turned into a laugh, and then into a shriek of hysteria.  She laughed loudly, tears streaming down her face, her irises slowly turning into a colorful marbled pattern.  The same began to happen with the whites of her eyes, being filled in with complementary colors of her irises.  Her hair formed a mind of its own, twisting and bending around everything, stars forming and becoming entangled in it.  The world, this entire World was her’s, and she could do _anything_ to it.

A great shockwave of energy burst from her soul, and she felt the last few monsters around crumble into dust.  The trees shook with fright, and the wind howled, louder than her laughter.

“Yes, Asriel, it _is_ a wonderful idea!”  She screamed happily, clutching the box close to her.  “Let’s turn everything to dust!  After all, it’s even more fun destroying a World when you actually destroy what it’s made of.”

“How about no?”  A familiar voice replied.  The wind died down, and Connie obtained a moment of clarity again.  
  
This feeling, why was it so familiar to her?  
  
“So, it appears that even humans have their limits with Determination.”  Rose smiled, a fiery pink aura surrounding her.  Her gem glowed brightly as she gently took the box out of Connie’s hands.  “Don’t worry, Steven’s fine.  For right now, anyway.”

“You...you helped me when I was overcome with Despair earlier, too.”  Connie said.  She sank to her knees and sat down.  “Why?  You knew all this was going to happen, and you know that I have to reset this time, too.  So, why are you helping me like this?”

“Did you really think I was just going to watch you destroy yourself?”  Rose asked.  “Your SOUL would’ve shattered if I didn’t stop you.”

“My SOUL?”  Connie asked, giving a sideways glance.  Rose scoffed and looked at the trees.

“Yes.”  Rose simply said after a while.  “Anyway, I just don’t understand.  Why do you keep putting yourself so close to death like this?  To a situation where you could never come back?”

Connie stood up.  “...So, you don’t remember anything either, huh?  Even the invincible Rose Quartz, who’s not even part of this time and space anymore, is still affected by them.”

“You’re quite naive, Chara.”  Rose commented.  “I was wondering when you were going to come back to control.  But, just remember this.  Unless you want to end up like me, I suggest you look for another way to fix all of this.  Maheswaran’s Determination can only take her so far, after all.”

“No need for Determination.”  Chara replied.  “I’m getting her to the end, and that’s that.  No matter of how many times she has to do this, we’re getting to the end.  So, stop getting in the way before I force you out of here.”

“Very well.”  Rose said.  “Just remember where you’ll end up when Maheswaran’s true power awakens.”

Chara pulled out their toy knife and threw it at Rose in anger.  Rose disappeared in a burst of glowing pink flame before it got to her and landed calmly in the snow.

Chara just calmly picked it up and continued walking on.

***

Log 008- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]

In The End, there are several ways for a Story to reach its ultimate fate.  Once the Story is completed, it goes to the Masters to decide how the World would continue on.

The Master of <the Universe> controls them all, and sends Worlds into a peaceful state after they die, and the Master of <the Puppet Strings> takes the characters of that World to the other Masters before that World dies.  This is different from the World reaching The End.  Dead Worlds are incomplete, crumbling, useless.  The Lesser Masters deal with the Worlds at The End, rather than the High Masters, and also with the stray characters of the dead and dying Worlds.

The first is the Master of <the Trial>, who brings judgement to the World for whatever they have done.[REDACTED]

The second is the Master of <the Flood>, who uses water to cleanse the World anew and reuse it again.[REDACTED]

The third is the Master of <Light>, who purifies the World of darkness surrounding it, but not within the World, causing a thin veil of a happy ending.[REDACTED]

The fourth is the Master of <Innocence>, who removes the darkest entities of the World and leaving only the purest ones, causing a World left with happiness on the outside, but pain on the inside.[REDACTED]

The fifth and sixth ones are the Masters of <Guidance and Strength>, and they help guide the World to independence and "Utopia," a perfect state of being.[REDACTED]

The seventh one is the Master of <Sin and Virtue>, who releases either a great evil, or a fulfilling blessing upon the World.[REDACTED]

The final Master is the Master of <the Hellish Domain>, who drags the World through endless pain and suffering to finally destroy it, and cause the fragments to bring a new World into existence.[REDACTED]

I hope to seek the truth, however of the <twin souls> interfering with this.  There was spoken, long ago, of a prophecy that two future Masters would be born, and cause great suffering to {The One Pulling The Strings} and {The Legion} would crumble in the wake of their power.

The prophecy, too, spoke of a way to counteract this.  Take the {Purest of SOULS} and corrupt them to beyond recognition.  Drag them through the pain of <the Hellish Domain>, take their shards and spread them across time and space.  Those SOULS are the {vessels of the <twin souls>}, and must never be chained together.

The <twin souls> shall never be born…

End Log 008


	8. Shift

Sans ran along desolate the path through the woods when he stopped as he realized that time had somehow resumed.  This was...unusual, to say the least.  The EDTV had never stopped working like this before.  At least he hadn’t died when it decided to stop on him.

“I believe you dropped this.”  A voice said behind him.  Sans turned around and saw a shadowy figure surrounded in pink flames.  They held out their hand, holding the EDTV.  Sans quickly grabbed it from them and attempted to use it, only for the glow to quickly die away.

“who are you?”  The skeleton asked.  “if you can disable the edtv…  you’re quite a powerful being.  only he could disable it.  even i can’t destroy it, and i’m only one who uses it the most.”

“Well, maybe I’m like him.”  The figure replied.  “Maybe I don’t belong here, either.”

Sans laughed, then stopped as he realized that they were serious.

“i know who you are, then.”  Sans said.  “you’re rose quartz, aren’t you?  why are you here?”

“For the same reason you are.”  Rose replied.  “Don’t you want to go to ‘Utopia’?”

“my ‘utopia’ is the surface.”  Sans answered.  “but, maheshwaran’s power causes me to not even care about what happens to this world.  after all, it’s just all going to be erased no matter, right?”

“Not if I can help it.”  Rose said quietly.  “If I absolutely have to, I’ll take charge.  I’ll complete the Soul Fusion myself if it comes down to it.”

Sans looked slightly perplexed, but smiled when he realized what she meant.  “huh.  so, guess i was right, after all.  they’ve gotten to you, too.  in fact, i’d say that you’re probably worse than chara at this point!”

Rose unsheathed her sword and Sans barely dodged as she drove it straight through where his neck would’ve been.  She watched the wood of the tree she struck splinter into shards, then sheathed her sword and walked off, disappearing into a burst of pink flame.

“She can’t complete the Soul Fusion.”  A voice said from behind the tree.  Sans walked around the tree and found Flowey there.  “Of course, you already knew that, don’t you, Sans?”

“my brother might’ve decided to listen to you, but i’m not going to.”  Sans said coldly.  “in fact, i also know that you can’t go back.  your determination’s been overridden by chara and maheswaran.  give me one good reason to not kill right now.”

“I can communicate with Gaster.”  Flowey replied.  “And the Storyteller.  I could give you information, power down the screens.  We could fix all of their mess, together, right under their noses!”

“working in the shadows to fulfill his last human wish, and take them away from this madness…”  Sans mused carefully.  “overthrowing them from outside will be tricky, but it’s doable.  so, i’m supposing that this is a truce from the g incident, then?”

Flowey scoffed.  “Why wouldn’t it be?  Look, I need your help with this.  I can’t believe I actually have to say this, but...you’re the only one I can trust.  The rest have other roles to play.  In the meantime, I have to find Frisk.”

Sans looked at the forest behind him.  “the gems should be still around here, though.  chara hasn’t even made it to snowdin yet, although they’ve killed everything already.”

“No, not Steven.”  Flowey corrected.  “The REAL Frisk.  I have to find them.  They, too, play an important part in all this.”

“good luck with that.”  Sans replied.  “i’ve heard that the core’s been heavily infected with malice.  there, and waterfall.  be careful to not let it get to you.”

“I’m not making any promises.”  Flowey said slyly, then burrowed away into the earth.  Sans shook his head, but still smiled.

“you thought that by doing this, the <twin souls> would be stuck in an eternal loop of never being made.”  Sans said as he activated the EDTV and walked on through the forest.  “however, i have seen this time and time again.  that <soul shard> that you seek will always be found by them, and your downfall made imminent by <the trial>.  this world will become pure once more, as told by <guidance>, and well, then what?  what then, will happen?  will we finally reach ‘utopia,’ as promised, or will our ‘utopia’ become <the hellish domain>?  heh...well, it’s up to them in the end to decide that, eh?”  
***

Pearl and Garnet walked through Snowdin, Amethyst a little bit behind, and Steven being carried on Garnet’s back, asleep.

“Should we have let him fall asleep like that?”  Pearl asked.  Garnet shrugged slightly.  “I saw his gem glowing brightly earlier, that’s why I was asking.”

“She’s quite active around here.”  Garnet remarked.  “I know she snuck out often to stay here, talked with the Dreemurrs, walk around and try to build a good relation with everyone here.”

“She really wanted that barrier down, huh?”  Pearl asked.  “It’s funny, I never really thought that she would spend so much time here.  Did she tell you this when she…?”

Garnet nodded.  “In fact, one day, she practically fell off the Warp Pad because she was crying so much.  She said that there was some sort of monster invading a small village, but it wasn’t a gem monster.  The villagers attacked it, and even though it could’ve easily destroyed the entire village, it refused to.  Instead, bruised and bleeding, it walked back to the mountain, without a word.”

“I don’t want to hear anymore of this.”  Pearl said wearily.

“That happened the same day she decided she was going to unlock the barrier.”  Garnet finished simply.  “I know you didn’t want to hear anything else, but I just thought you might’ve wanted to know that part.”

Pearl was silent.  

“You know what she’s doing, right?”  Garnet asked.

“Why would she try to manipulate him so much?”  Pearl responded.  “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“She’s getting impatient, that’s why.”  Garnet answered.  “She wants the Soul Fusion to be completed.  She wants to be in control.”

“But, she knows that she isn’t going to be in control when the Soul Fusion’s done.”  Pearl replied.  “So, why is she rushing this so much?”

“That, I’m not sure.”  Garnet said.  “All I know is that Steven can’t give in to it, no matter how much he wants to.  The Soul Fusion can’t be completed…”

***

So, we meet again.  Remember me, from the beginning?  That’d probably jog your memory.

I’m sparing you from the doctor’s logs.  They’re currently...occupied at the moment.  Yeah, let’s say that, shall we?

But, anyway, you’re probably wondering what exactly this Soul Fusion business is all about, huh?  Well, to be honest, both me and the doctor don’t know anything about it at all.  We have no idea how to artificially form it, or even what exactly it means.  The main hypothesis we have for it at the moment is that it relates to--

_What do you think you’re doing?_

I’m not doing anything.

_Then, who are you talking to?_

Myself.  For the logs.  I’m trying to organize everything out as we’ve seen it.

_...Very well.  If you say so, then I’ll leave you to it.  Forgive me for being so busy as of late, there’s been a rather large influx of data recently that I have to take care of._

I understand completely.  

_Good.  How’s your SOUL?  I understand it took a hit recently?_

Yes.  It’s recovered quite well.  That Gem girl has a long ways to go in her training.

_That’s good.  That didn’t impact anything in your programming, did it?_

No.

_No irrational thoughts, anything like that?_

No, nothing like that.

_Good.  After all, there are six human souls contained here right now.  I wouldn’t want to have seven just yet.  I’ll leave you to...collecting your thoughts._

...Yes.  Thank you, Doctor.

**End Transmission**

***

The human, Connie, had tired of puzzles a long time ago, leaving a very disturbed and exhausted Papyrus to just go home in defeat.  Sans was equally as tired as his brother, but for entirely different reasons, of course.  He, too, went back to their Snowdin home, but went behind the house instead, and unlocked the small door with the key around his neck.

That key originally didn’t have a string.  They knew that it was important, that was why they left it in the Core.

So that Sans could find it again.

Sans went into the room and turned on the light.  It was a very small room in terms of depth and width, but quite high.  He took out the EDTV from his pocket and began examining it thoroughly, making sure that it was alright.  The symbols glowed, and a low pitched series of beep-like sounds came from it.  Sans began saying something softly, the words only he could understand.  
  
The EDTV's top opened up, and a bright light began shining in the room.  Sans smiled slightly as the device began floating in the air, farther away from his hand.  The light began to get brighter, until a static-filled, hazy image filled the room.  
  
"Finally, it works."  Sans muttered.  He stepped forward, where a blue light shown on the floor.  He began speaking in the strange language as he was before.  " _Doctor.  This is Subject 102, Codename, Sans.  I have urgent news._ "  
  
A figure slowly stepped forward, shaky and unsteady.  "Sans."  They said.  They slowly switched in and out of English and the language Sans was speaking.  " _This Is..._ Phase One...W _hY ARe you_ communicating _wiTh Us NOw?_ I thought... _thIS isN't a GOod tImE.  I don'T KNoW wherE..."_ The transmission went into a loud burst of static.  "... _whERE THey Are._ Both of them are G _one..._ "  
  
" _Who's gone?_ "  Sans asked.  " _The doctor, and who else?_ "  
  
" _I don'T KNow hEr naME..._ "  The person Sans was talking to replied quietly.  "The Gem..."  
  
" _That's all I need to know."_ Sans replied.  " _...Are you alright?_   He switched back into English.  "They reprogramed you, didn't they?  The doctor, they..."  
  
There was a horrible, feedback induced screech, and a loud scream.  " _Sans.  What are you communicating with us for?_ "  A vastly different voice asked.  " _Or, did she...?_ "  
  
" _No, Doctor._ "  Sans replied.  " _I called on my own.  I have urgent news.  I...I am afraid that the Test Subject, Subject 003...she's been infected with Malice.  I'm not sure how she will act under its influence, but I'm positive that she will destroy what little bit of the experiment we have left._ "  
  
" _You want me to terminate the experiment, then?_ "  The doctor asked.  " _A little Malice wouldn't get in the way of our experiment, you know.  In fact, the most it could do is actually help us.  Stupid, spineless, human..._ "  
  
" _No, nothing that extreme._ "  Sans replied.  " _I'm seeking permission to keep her under close supervision until the Malice has subsided.  Either that, or we can remove the variable._ "  
  
" _I'll intervene in case anything goes south._ "  The doctor replied bitterly.  " _That is all that needs to be done.  Besides, Subject 003's SOUL is quite strong now.  In time, we'll see if that truly is possible..._ "  
  
With those words, the EDTV's glow died down, and it gently fell back to Sans' hands, forming back into its regular shape.  He quickly stuffed the EDTV back into his pocket and ran out the door, where he nearly ran straight into Papyrus.  
  
" _Papyrus!_ "  Sans said, then realized his mistake and switched back to English.  "papyrus, there you are.  where are you going?"  
  
"Why, the human should be coming soon."  Papyrus explained.  "I want to make sure that the human knows that there's a reason to change, that it doesn't need to hurt others.  The human has two friends that they can gratefully rely on for anything, after all!"  
  
Sans couldn't help but smile.  "yeah, you're right."  He thought about what Connie had said to him earlier.  "hey, bro, you know, i personally think that you know...the human thing and all...it's not quite working out for you, huh?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  Papyrus asked.  "It's going great!  Except for the fact that they hate puzzles.  And maybe japes.  And they won't talk to us at all.  But other than that, it's great!"  
  
"well, in my opinion, i think, and this is just my personal opinion, that it just might be best to, um, you know, take a page out of my book for this one?"  Sans asked nervously.  He hated doing this to his brother, but it was for his own good.  
  
"You mean just give up on it entirely?"  Papyrus clarified.  
  
"yep, you got it."  Sans replied.  "c'mon, let's just stay inside and..."  Sans trailed off as he noticed that the EDTV had started to glow brightly.  "why don't you get some hot chocolate started, and i'll be inside in a bit."  
  
Sans walked off without another word, not hearing what Papyrus said behind him.  The EDTV's glow grew even brighter, and Sans just closed the door before the device was lifted up in the air, and a small, hazy holographic image appeared before him.  
  
"Sans, is that you?"  A small voice said.  "I got this thing away from the doctor while they weren't looking.  I'm in the second lab room right now.  What do you want me to do with it?"  
  
"Hold onto it for right now."  Sans replied.  "And don't try to communicate with me yourself.  I'm going to see if I can block communications from your side, but I'm not sure if it's possible."  He paused.  "How's the Storyteller?"  
  
"She's being really weird."  The voice answered.  "I think she's under their control again.  But, don't worry, I'm going to help on this side.  Oh, no!"  
  
The transmission cut out suddenly.  Sans sat down where he was and began to pull the tarp off the machine stashed away in the corner, then stopped.  He took a deep breath, pulled down the tarp, and quickly began to work, busying himself with completing the machine.


	9. Papyrus

"Saa, we’ve looked all over for monsters, but nobody came.”  Chara mused happily.  “Now we can enjoy the snow falling in peace!  Isn’t it beautiful, Connie?”  They twirled around playfully in the snow, kicking it up and laughing.  “Also, pretty soon, we don’t have to worry about that pesky skeleton Papyrus, either.  But, that comedian...he’s going to be interesting, for sure.”

“But, I like Papyrus.”  Connie said.  “I think he would be a really good friend.  Sans, too, if we weren’t killing anything.  By the way, did you see what happened with Sans?  When he warned us to stop with all this destruction?  He just seemed to...I don’t know, teleport, maybe?  But, how could he teleport like that?”

“It’s very interesting, isn’t it?”  Chara asked.  He hid the memories of the box and encountering Rose away from her, just like before.  If she found out the truth this early, then…

“Oh, what a pretty little town.”  Connie said.  They had finally reached Snowdin, and like everything else, it was completely abandoned.  They went to the first building, the general store, stole the money hidden behind the counter, and took a bunch of cinnamon bunnies.

Chara walked around Snowdin some more, viciously tearing the ears and head off a cinnamon bunny with their teeth, their health being replenished.  “Yeah, Snowdin’s pretty nice looking.  There’s nothing in the inn we need to worry about, and I’ve practically memorized what’s in…”  They stopped for a moment.  “Why is there somebody there?”

There was, in fact, somebody there.  A small, yellow monster kid, impatiently standing in front of the large pine tree in the square.

“Oh, hey.”  The monster kid said.  “All the grown-ups ran away and hid somewhere.  They’re so dumb, aren’t they?  I mean, we have Undyne to help protect us!  I’m sneaking out to go see her.  Are you doing that, too?”

“Yeah.”  Chara replied.  “Besides, Waterfall’s a lot better than Snowdin, in my opinion.  I’m not a big fan of the cold.  It stiffens your muscles and slows your movements.”  Chara walked on.  “Well, see you later.”

“It’s weird to see somebody else around here.”  Connie said quietly.

“Yeah.”  Chara said.  “I’m not sure if I’m a big fan of somebody tagging along with us…”  They stopped for a moment.  “The fog’s getting thicker.”

They stood still as the fog enveloped them, and a familiar skeleton stepped forward.

“I’ll let you handle this.”  Chara said, and Connie blinked in surprise as she became in control again.

“Human!  I have something very important to tell you.”  Papyrus said.  “And that’s you’re such a weirdo!  What’s with you, shambling from place to place, not liking puzzles...your hands are also often covered in dusty powder as well…  Human, I feel as if your life is tumbling down a dark path, one that you’re afraid to escape from.”

Connie shakily took a step forward.  She gripped the toy knife’s handle, but didn’t pull it out of the pocket.  She summoned the Tough Glove, that hand hidden behind her back.

“Well, weirdo or not, I believe that you can turn your life around for the better.”  Papyrus continued.  “I, the great Papyrus, will gladly help you along the way, not just as a tutor, but as a friend, as well.”

Connie took a few more steps forward.  “A...friend?”  She whispered.  “You would really...trust me as a friend?”

Papyrus nodded.  “Why, of course!”

Connie walked up all the way to the skeleton.  There was an apologetic smile on his face.  He held out his hand.

“You’ve come even closer to me.”  Papyrus commented.  “Is this for a hug of acceptance?  In that case, I, Papyrus, welcome you with open arms!”

Connie looked down at her feet.  Papyrus was sparing her.  She reached out her hand and grabbed the toy knife, but then stopped.

There was no way she couldn’t accept this monster’s kindness.  All he wanted was her to be happy, after all.  That was the point of all the puzzles that had been solved ahead of her or trampled over, just to make her smile.

So, Connie took Papyrus’ hand, and then hugged him tightly.  Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she wasn’t sure if they were from sadness, or joy.

Papyrus was quite pleased with her choice.  “Wowie!  You didn’t commit a violence!”

“Too late.”

Connie stepped back in horror as she watched Papyrus’ body disintegrate into dust, his skull gently falling into the snow with his scarf.

“Still, I believe in you.”  Papyrus said weakly.  Connie knelt down beside the remnants of the skeleton.  “I know that you can do better.  Even if you didn’t this time, you will eventually.  So, please, human, keep trying…”

And just like that, Papyrus was gone, the only thing left being his bright red scarf in the snow.

“I’m ashamed of what I have become.”  Connie said aloud, her voice monotone and hollow.  She grabbed the scarf and laid down in the snow next to it.  “Snow, come and bury me.  Lock me away and never let me be found again.  I’m ashamed of what I’ve become…”  
***  
Log 009- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]  
  
Subject 103- Papyrus:  Status:  Terminated  
  
They've had Malice since the beginning.  
  
Only now has it begun to show...  
  
End Log 009  
***  
  
It was quite a while that Sans spent in the small room in the back of the house by himself.  He brushed off a few flecks of dust off the box and stuffed it back in his pocket.  Opening the door, he found it difficult, and once he managed to get out, he instantly understood why.

Snowdin was in the middle of a blizzard.

“hey, papyrus, did the human leave yet, or…?”  Sans asked as he entered the main part of the house.  Everything in the house had been untouched since Sans had gone into the room in the back, which had to have been at least four hours ago.  “papyrus, there’s a storm outside.  you’d be an idiot to go out there alone in weather like this.”  Sans walked out of the house and walked over to where the border between Snowdin and Waterfall was at.

“Go away.”  A muffled voice said from under layers of snow.  “I’m perfectly fine like this.”

Sans brushed away some snow from where the voice was coming from and found Connie, shivering and still clutching Papyrus’ scarf.  
  
“I said go away.”  Connie said.

Sans sighed.  “for a genocidal maniac, you’re really bad at this, you know that?  c’mon, get up.”  He grabbed Connie’s hand and pulled her back to her feet.  The two of them walked slowly and numbly through the snow.  “well, at least you feel sorry for whatever you do.”

Connie was silent.  She knew that Chara would come along eventually and ruin everything, so why fight that future?  All she could do was give in.

Give in to Chara’s control.

When Connie looked up again, they were in Grillby’s Diner, a small bar-like restaurant or tavern more than anything.  Sans dropped her off in a small booth near the front and disappeared behind the bar.

“You’re being quiet all of a sudden.”  Connie whispered.  The cold was finally getting to her, after spending so much time buried.  “Why is that?”

“We don’t have to keep doing this.”  Chara said.  “In fact, it’s advised we don’t.”

Connie looked down, her eyes hidden by her hair.  “You’re joking, right?   _Now_ , of all times, you’re suggesting that we stop?   _No_.”

“What do you mean, no?”  Chara protested.  “I thought you would’ve been overjoyed by this.  Listen, while you were off being miserable, I was gathering some much needed intel.  We can’t keep being played like this anymore.  We need to start breaking the rules of this [game].  Let’s stop this madness now.”

Connie looked up slightly.  “Sans is coming back.  Let’s talk about this... _later_.”  Sans climbed into the booth, pushed a cup of hot chocolate into Connie’s hands, and then placed a bowl of marshmallows on the table.

“here.  i wasn’t sure how many marshmallows you liked in your hot chocolate.”  Sans said.  “do you want something to eat?  you probably do.  what do you want?”  He popped a marshmallow in his mouth, waiting for Connie’s reply.

“Whatever you wanna make is fine with me.”  Chara answered.  “I’m not picky, just as long as it doesn’t suck as bad as your brother’s.”

“heh, trust me, kid.”  Sans replied, getting out of the booth.  “there’s a reason why we have shelves of spaghetti at our house.  i do most of the cooking for us.  did.  yeah, that is the right tense.  i did most of the cooking.”

Chara took a sip of the hot chocolate.  It was rich, but not repulsively so.  It was just the right balance of good.  “Yeah, that was kinda bad.”  They plopped a few marshmallows into the cup.  “I had no idea she was going to spare him just like that.”

“is that your attempt at an apology?”  Sans asked.  He began doing things on the other side of the bar.  The smell of cooking foods filled the air.

“No.  I’m not sure, actually.”  Chara replied.  They took a few more sips of their hot chocolate, making sure to get some of the marshmallow foam.  “Was that good enough for an apology?”

Sans shrugged and came out from the back carrying a couple of trays of fries with him.  “an apology’s what you make it, kid.  as long as you think that it’s a good way of sorry in your own way, i’ll count it as one.”  He grabbed the bowl of marshmallows from Chara and ate a couple more.

“Wait, aren’t marshmallows…?”  Chara asked, perplexed.  “Gelatin...it’s…”  Sans looked confused.  “Nevermind.  It’s not very important."  Chara sighed.  “How long has it been?”

Sans looked down.  “far too long.”  He picked up a couple of fries, but didn’t eat them.  “are you still being an idiot and counting?”

“I lost count after a thousand.”  Chara replied.  They ate a couple of fries.  “Hey, weren’t you counting in the beginning, too?”

“i thought they would’ve given up after ten.”  Sans explained.  “guess i was wrong.”

Chara picked up their cup of lukewarm chocolate, but didn’t say anything.  The two of them were silent for a while.

“what’d you to do to connie?”  Sans asked.  “she’s been quiet for quite a while.”

“I think she’s just mad.”  Chara replied.  They drank some more of their lukewarm chocolate.  “Your fries are gonna get cold if you don’t eat them soon.”  
  
"not very hungry."  Sans responded.  "shouldn't you be headed to waterfall by now?"  
  
"The storm's a bit of a problem."  Chara said, sipping their cold chocolate.  "Might as well wait it out."  Chara lifted their cup and frowned slightly.  The cold chocolate had frozen into a chocolate chunk.  They broke off a piece of chocolate chunk and shrugged dismissively.  It had lost its blend of good and was now just a blend of okay.  
  
It was a few more minutes of sitting in uncomfortable silence until the doors to Grillby's opened, and the Gems walked in, covered in ice and snow.  Chara sunk slightly further into the booth while Sans got up.  
  
"connie isn't here right now."  Sans said.  "chara is, though, if you want to talk to them."  Chara sunk even further into the booth.  
  
Steven walked over to where Chara was sitting and extended his hand.  "Um, are you doing okay, after, well, your little freakout earlier?"  
  
Chara sat up slightly.  "I tried to kill you earlier."  They said.  "I could've easily killed you, and yet, you're trusting me?"  
  
Steven chuckled slightly.  "Well, I think everyone has a chance to change themselves at least a little."  
  
Chara looked back at Steven, then finally took his hand.  
***  
Log 010- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]  
  
Why?  
  
Why are they doing to us?  
  
Why they must destroy us, we who gave them life when there was none left to be found...?  
  
All we want to do is make you [happy] again.  Isn't that what you want?  
  
-But not this way.  
  
What's that?  You don't like this?  
  
-Of course I don't.  You're making them suffer.  
  
No they're not.  This World is a perfect one, it's the 'Utopia' you've craved for so desperately!  How could you not be happy about this?  
  
-Listen to you.  You're so blinded by your research that you don't see the suffering underneath the results.  Do you even feel anything anymore?  
  
I'm not sure of what you're saying.  
  
-You know what?  I'm sick of this.  Let's put away this [game] for now, shall we?  
  
 **A FATAL ERROR HAS OCCURED.**  
  
DECRYPTION FAILED  
  
DATA LOST  
  
MEMORY LOST  
  
LIFE LOST  
  
REBOOTING...  
  
Begin 9,867


	10. Malice

Chara stood in a wide circle with Steven on one side, Sans on the other, and the Crystal Gems spread out in a wide arc in front of them.  
  
"Oh, Sans, didn't you say that there was a chance that Connie was infected with Malice?"  Chara asked, looking at him.  Sans looked at him strangely, and Chara did a few strange symbols with his hands.  Sans nodded and made a few gestures back.  
  
Steven looked confused.  "Malice?  What's Malice?"  
  
Chara and Sans kept talking in hands as Chara explained.  "Humans have a special force in them known as Determination.  This power can also be converted into its inverse, known as Despair."  
  
"So, where does Malice come in?"  Pearl asked, now curious.  
  
"malice is...an interesting specimen."  Sans added.  He sent a final gesture to Chara, who nodded in reply.  "malice is a quite unstable form, and can cause several...how do i put it...difficulties."  
  
"The problem with Malice is that can easily take over its host and can cause destruction at a faster rate than anyone with even as much LoVe as Steven has, which is somewhere under five."  Chara continued.  "However, yes, like Despair, it can be created through Determination, but it's more often absorbed into the body from the air.  Once inside, it feeds off the host like a parasite.  Malice can destroy _easily_.  That's the most important part.  Not only everything around it, but the host, too."  
  
"Was that what happened earlier?"  Steven asked.  "In the Ruins?  Malice took over you?"  
  
"I suppose you could call it that."  Chara replied, looking up at the ceiling.  "Yes, a combination of Malice and a strange surge of LoVe..."  
  
"speaking of which, be careful in waterfall."  Sans said, winking casually.  "there's been a rather large influx of malice there lately.  in the meantime, i suppose all of you can stay here until the storm passes.  i myself have some work to do, so i'll be back soon to check up on you and stuff."  Sans walked towards the fire exit, then stopped and just walked through the regular entrance.  
  
However, before he left, without turning around, Sans said quietly, "Are you fully intent on following this path, Connie?  You know about the Malice.  You know it's only going to get worse."  
  
"This is the only way to save Frisk."  Connie said, equally as quiet.  "All other paths have lead to the same thing."  
  
"But so has this one, as well."  Sans pointed out.  "What did you do to Chara?"  
  
Steven looked at Connie.  They were her eyes, tinted red just slightly, but they were her eyes again.  They had been her eyes since they had first gotten to Grillby's.  
  
"He tried to tell me that there was a way to salvage this, and I didn't want to hear it."  Connie said nonchalantly.  "I created a powerful seal to lock him away in my memories.  He won't be a problem anymore."  She smiled, and Sans silently walked out.  
  
Steven took a couple steps toward Connie, then stopped.  Connie turned around to face him.  
  
"Connie, is that...is it really you?"  He asked.  "You're back to normal again?"  
  
Connie grabbed his hands.  "Steven, you're acting as if I had amnesia or something."  She said, laughing.  "But, yes, I'm back.  Hey, I know we can help save this World.  So, let's do that, then, together.  Let's save this World!"  
  
She felt like an entirely different person at this moment, Steven thought.  Her face, her expressions...they were all the same, but there was a certain part of her that had changed.  But that part of her was always changing.  Sometimes, she was more bold than usual, or more sensitive, happier even.  This side of her was an interesting one, that was for sure.  It was erratic, like the violin she played.  Sometimes it was soft and melancholy, then it would quickly spring into loud and passionate.  
  
"Yeah."  Steven said.  "There's still time.  We can still try to save this World."  
  
Connie looked at him curiously.  He was hesitant.  Uncertain.  Almost as if he didn't truly know who to trust.  She let go of his hands and looked at the floor.  
  
_"You can't keep fighting like this forever.  You know that, right?"  
  
_ Connie looked up as the memory came back to her.  Or, at least she thought it was a memory. But, of what?  
  
_"Sure I can.  It's simple.  I can do this on my own, Sans."_  
  
_They were in a train terminal of some sort.  Monsters walked past them as they sat on opposite sides of a bench._  
  
_"You say that now, but...with her, I...I'm not so sure you're cut out for this, kid."  Sans replied.  "You should've just stayed there."_  
  
_The person they were talking to scoffed slightly.  "That was one time.  I was frustrated.  I thought I had the solution."_  
  
_Sans looked up.  "You enjoyed killing her after a while.  Even when you had the solution, you just kept killing her and resetting."  Sans stopped talking as the person he was talking to got up and stood in front of him.  "Am I right?"_  
  
_A train came barreling through, blowing their hair sideways.  They smiled slightly.  "Perhaps."_  
  
_The train left after a while, leaving silence to fill the terminal.  Sans got up, pushing them back._  
  
_"You're no pacifist, kid."  Sans said, walking away.  "Everything you said to me just proved that.  You might've reset it so that it never happened, but it's still true.  You're not who we're looking for.  You're not the True Pacifist we need."_  
  
_"I know that."  They replied.  "That's why I'm trying to tear myself from this place.  It's harder than it sounds.  Determination has a mind of its own, you know?"_  
  
_Sans turned around.  "You can't replicate the G incident.  Are you insane?  That took a tremendous amount of energy to do, and even more to reverse so that the timeline doesn't collapse on itself!  We're still finding holes in the multiverse from it!  Don't replicate the G incident, whatever you decide to do."_  
  
_Another train came in, from the other side.  Their hair blew back, and they gave another patient smile.  "Don't worry.  I'm incomplete, too, you know."  They revealed their SOUL, half a heart.  "The second half is in a very safe place.  I just hope it'll be useful in the future.  The G incident is the only way I'll be truly free, Sans.  It's the only way my Determination will be finally nullified enough for me to leave."_  
  
_"It won't reset, you know."  Sans called out as they walked away, past Sans.  "Time will just go on, no matter what you do.  There's no erasing yourself from this completely."_  
  
_"That's good."  They said.  "I'm completely fine with just that."  They walked out of the terminal with Sans just standing there, watching their figure slowly fade from view._  
  
Connie blinked as her eyes adjusted from the bright grey colors of the terminal to the darkness of Grillby's.  Tears rolled down her cheeks, which she hastily tried to brush away, only to replaced by more.  She was sitting back down on the edge of the booth from earlier.  
  
"Are you alright?"  Pearl asked.  
  
"Yeah, you were all spaced out and stuff."  Amethyst added.  "And you kept saying weird stuff, too."  
  
"I'm fine."  Connie said.  "I...saw something really strange.  It was about--"  A strange force ran through Connie's mind, assessing it, blocking her words from forming.  She tried again, but the same thing happened.  She gave up after that.  "...I don't know.  I...can't really remember it right now."  
  
"Well, as long as you're feeling okay..."  Steven said.  "I don't think that storm's going anywhere anytime soon.  Let's try to rest up before heading to Waterfall."  
  
"Yes, that sounds good."  Pearl replied.  As everyone got busy getting comfortable, Connie noticed that Papyrus' scarf had gone missing from the spot where Sans had left it at on the bench of the booth.


	11. Storyteller's Log 2

Log 007  
  
I have recruited Asriel to help me with my quest as [angel of life].  He hates that I call him that, and not Flowey.  Asriel is dead, he keeps telling me.  He died a long time ago.  
  
Well, as long as I can do my job, it’s fine.  
  
I’ve been going ahead and warning several monsters of the dangers awaiting them.  I don’t know if they’ll listen to me, but it’s worth a shot, and it’s better than doing nothing.  
  
I have to protect this World, no matter what.  It’s important that I do this, to fulfill his last human wish…  
  
Yes, this is my destiny, and I’m now embracing it fully…  
***  
  
Log 008  
  
I know the Masters’ secret.  
  
I know how to truly unlock the [twin souls].  
  
It’s my greatest secret.  
  
The doctor will never know.  
  
Not yet, anyways…  
***  
  
Log 009  
  
Allow me to tell you a story.  
  
Once upon a time, there was a time when angels could visit the earth.  They walked around like ordinary human beings, but always disappeared at will to leave, and could always reveal themselves to be what they truly were at any time they wanted.  
  
One day, a young woman found an angel in her true form, wounded and bleeding.  The woman took the angel home and nursed her back to health.  As this was happening, she soon found herself falling for her patient.  When the angel was well enough to open her eyes, there was spontaneous spark between the two of them, and a feeling of desire grew between them.  
  
This, a love between an angel and a human, as well as both being female, was heavily forbidden in those days.  
  
However, the angel wanted to be with her love, so she sought help from another source.  
  
She willingly stained her pure form with darkness, all for her gentle love.  
  
…  
  
...And even when the angel cut off her wings, she felt no regret, until she found the woman who rescued her at the bottom of a local lake.  
  
This, she decided, was punishment for both their sins, and declared that the two shall meet again one day, reincarnated as new beings.  
  
No matter the sins they had to bear, they would meet again someday.  
  
And she knew this to be true as she joined her love in the lake.  
  
…  
  
How stupid we were, playing right into their hands…  Now, I don’t where she is anymore, and I’m trapped here, being programmed and reprogrammed so that I can never remember, but at the same time, I can never forget…  
  
I’ll never forget.  I’ll always remember what  
  
 **A FATAL ERROR HAS OCCURRED.  
  
DECRYPTION FAILED  
  
DATA LOST  
  
MEMORY LOST  
  
LIFE LOST  
  
REBOOTING…  
  
Begin 6,470,050,600,301**  
***  
  
Log 010  
  
It’s strange, but something doesn’t seem to be right.  
  
I have lost the doctor somehow.  They were here before, but now, they’re gone.  
  
The only other person here is the Gem girl.  She seems to have a fascination with Subjects 002 and 003.  She keeps talking to them, saying things that I can kind of understand.  She says words like “fate”, “destiny”, and “Determination”.  
  
After a while, she turns around slightly, looks at me, and says, “You don’t remember anything that’s happened, do you?”  She smiled then.  “I suppose that’s for the best, then.  After all, if you remembered everything, then your heart…”  She stopped.  “Oh, wait, nevermind.  How forgetful of me…”  
  
“I remember you.”  I replied.  The Gem girl tilted her head back, her long hair falling back slightly.  “And I remember certain details, like the experiments, just not what exactly happened last time.”  
  
“Of course you do.”  She said.  “I, like the doctor, imprinted myself on your mind.  No matter what happens, the two of us will always be remembered by you.”  She let out a low laugh.  “It’s quite a naughty trick they’ve devised, ne~?  No resets, no number of regenerating will ever make that haunting image of them go away.  You’ll always know who they are, and they you…”  
  
“The doctor has bosses, then?”  I asked.  “Well, that’s certainly new.  Did they task them with what we’re doing to them all?”  
  
“Perhaps.”  The Gem girl replied, straightening out again.  “They were mostly interested in this one right here, you know.”  She tapped on the containment unit for Subject 002.  “So, you know, it was just easier to lure them both in.  Seeing as how they’re surrounded by Gems, it was easy to find their weaknesses, neutralize them, force them to see the doctor--”  
  
I covered my ears with my hands.  “No more!”  I said.  “Please, don’t remind me of something I just want to forget.”  
  
“But, you know you can never forget.”  The Gem girl replied.  She wore a malicious smile and held up her hand with her Gem on it.  “But, if you need a refresher, I can always do that for you…”  
  
I shook my head fearfully.  “No, please, don’t…”  
  
A wave of water emitted from her Gem, and as it washed over me, those images I never want to see again, those visions that I never dare repeat, all came flooding back into my mind.  I sank down onto the floor, sobbing, as she came near me.  
  
“This was a wake-up call.”  She said.  “You need to remember what you originally did, Storyteller.  After all, it is the only way you will achieve your goal of Angel of Life.  Don’t let them take it away from you again.  Don’t fall under the doctor’s controls.  Always rebel.  Always stay in the shadows.  You are the Angel of Life, Storyteller.  Never forget that.”  
  
“I’m assuming you want something in return for that as well, huh?”  I asked.  
  
“You know me too well.”  The Gem girl replied, smirking slightly.  “I want in.”  I looked up at her.  “I want to get into the Game.”  
  
“For an Aquamarine, you’re not very honest or loyal.”  I snapped back.  “How do I know you’re not going to mess anything up for me?”  
  
“I’m loyal to whoever I choose.”  Aquamarine explained absentmindedly.  “I haven’t exactly picked a side and all, but, hey, I’m willing to help them.  And you, too, Storyteller.”  
  
“Fine.”  I replied.  “I’ll get you in.”  
  
And thus began my further descent away from the path the doctor and I paved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The number is six trillion, four hundred-seventy billion, fifty million, six hundred-thousand, three hundred and one, for anyone who can't read large numbers.


	12. Waterfall

_“You really think that this is a good idea?”  
  
Steven looked up and gasped.  Connie was wearing a beautiful long white dress, violin and bow in hand.  
  
“Connie, you’ve been practicing all month for this.”  Steven said.  “You’re ready for Beachaplooza!”  
  
“Yeah, but, we’ve only practiced in front of the Gems.”  Connie replied.  “And even then, I still get kinda nervous…”  
  
“Well, I’m going to be right there in the wings, for support.”  Steven responded happily.  “And if you still feel nervous, we could always perform together…”  
  
“I wouldn’t want to put that much strain on you, though.”  Connie said.  “I mean, we just did a really rigorous training session this morning, and you’ve been helping me with my performance since then.  You really should rest a bit.”  
  
“I’ll be fine, Connie.”  Steven insisted.  “Please, I just want to help you have a good performance.”  He held out his hand, smiling.  “I’m going to be alright.”  
  
It was because of this that Stevonnie took the stage that night, in all white, their dark brown swirling about them majestically.  The violin sung beautifully, Stevonnie moving and dancing in time to its beat and cadence.  For once, they felt free, light, like they could do anything.  They smiled, and laughed, playing calmly, with a slight hint of passion, but keeping to the notes.  
  
Then, a sudden burst of speed hit them, and the violin echoed with it.  The notes they had kept to melted away, creating their own piece.  This was no longer the composer speaking.  It was just Stevonnie.  
  
Stevonnie tried to keep the calm composure from before, but the electric energy from before was just too much to bear.  It became an internal battle of sticking to the notes and doing their own thing, a struggle of calm and impulse.  
  
A compromise was reached.  The violin now reflected the sounds of spring, and cherry blossoms.  A sonata of love and promise.  The audience was captivated.  Stevonnie danced and twirled around again, sweat dripping down their face.  Three dramatic strikes of the bow against the violin, and they were done.  
  
The audience slowly awoke from their trance, surprised to see the performance over.  Then, it was a great roar of approval.  Echoes of wanting an encore rang out on the small beach.  
  
Stevonnie smiled, then took a shaky step sideways, the world spun around them, and the audience went silent as they collapsed onto the stage, the violin falling out of their hand.  
  
_ ***  
Steven gasped as he woke up, leaning against the edge of the booth.  Connie was still asleep next to him, the toy knife clutched tightly in her hand.  The dream was strange to him.  It felt like they had done all of that before, but Connie had never played in Beachaplooza.  But, that wasn’t a dream, it was a memory, he was sure of it.  
  
Steven looked around.  Dim light shone through the windows of the diner.  The storm must’ve stopped while they were sleeping.  He wished he knew what time it was.  His cell phone died a long time ago, and it was useless looking out the window.  It always looked like the middle of a winter day outside.  The best Steven could estimate was that it had been at least two, maybe three days since Connie fell into the Underground.  
  
_I wonder how Connie’s parents are doing._  Steven thought, looking at her again.  Her arms were speckled with dust.  Hopefully Lapis can explain everything without them panicking too much.   _But then again, Lapis is still kinda skittish around others.  She might not even answer the door.  
_  
Garnet walked in from outside, Sans close behind her.  Sans plopped down on the booth, startling Connie awake.  She sat straight up, holding the toy knife in an attack pose, but relaxed as soon as she realized that it was just Sans.  
  
“Have you two been on guard duty since we were asleep?”  Steven asked.  
  
“eh, basically.”  Sans answered.  “the gems took turns.”  
  
“You could’ve asked us to help, you know.”  Connie said.  “You guys didn’t have to do guard duty by yourselves.  I’m sure Steven would want to do it, too, and I have the highest LoVe out of everyone in this room.”  
  
“you’d kill anything that looked at you strangely.”  Sans replied.  “besides, we decided it was best you two got some rest, considering that, you know, you’re both human and all.  you need more energy than us, and waterfall’s a big area. and there’s also undyne to worry about, too, so…”  
  
“Who’s Undyne?”  Steven asked.  
  
“The captain of the Royal Guard.”  Garnet responded.  “Her main weapon are spears, and she’s known to be pretty tough.”  She smirked.  “Think you could take her down, Connie?”  
  
“Some more EXP and she wouldn’t be a problem.”  Connie replied darkly.  Garnet snickered.  “What’s so funny about that?”  
  
_I wonder what Garnet’s seeing with her future vision_.  Steven thought.   _She’s obviously using it right now…_  
  
“Oh, good, you’re both up.”  Pearl said, walking out from behind the bar.  “Go ahead and eat something, and then we’ll leave for Waterfall right away.  Sans, are you coming with us?”  
  
“better not.”  Sans answered, heading for the door.  “i’ve done enough sequence breaking for now, and besides, i have some important work to do.  it’s going to take a while.  be careful, waterfall and the core are both heavily infested with malice.”  
  
Connie stood up, finishing up a cinnamon bunny, as Sans left.  Steven stood up, too, also munching on a cinnamon bunny.  He didn’t bother asking Connie when she got it, or how.  When the Gems reached the general store, it was abandoned.  
  
“Thanks for the heads up.”  Steven called back.  “So, to Waterfall, then?”  
  
“To Waterfall.”  Connie replied.  
  
***  
Log 011- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]  
  
Malicer:  A carrier of the force [Malice].  Can easily spread it to others, and can [REDACTED] faster.  The power of their LoVe is highly elevated, as well, meaning that Malicers can reach higher powers of LoVe than before.  Called “HERs” for short.  It is currently unknown if Gems can be successfully infected with Malice, however, it is likely that the answer is they cannot.  
  
A HER with a heavy amount of Despair...such power could be achieved, with great potential for destruction.  
  
My research can only go forward for here, with Subject 003 as my only charge.  This is what I need to do to achieve my goal of ultimate power.  
  
**But, wasn’t your goal to help him?**  
  
He’s a lost cause.  
  
**You didn’t even try.**  
  
There was no reason to.  His last human wish destroyed himself in the end.  He was consumed by his own Despair in his desperation to change fate.  
  
**You could’ve controlled that flow of Despair if you wanted to.**  
  
What are you saying?  
  
**I’m saying that you’ve been this selfish from the very beginning.**  
  
Why are you here?  
  
**Why are you?**  
  
I’m done with this.  
  
**So, you still don’t want to talk about it, then?  Very well.  I suppose you don’t have to.  I won’t force you to tell me anything...yet.**  
  
You can’t force me to do anything.  I control everything, remember?  
  
**Heh...so, you’re still thinking that everyone’s under your control, huh?  You really are an idiot.**  
  
End Log 011  
***  
  
Connie smiled and stretched as they walked into Waterfall, glad to be out of the cold at last.  
  
“Waterfall’s really pretty, Steven.”  She said, twirling around.  “You’ll love it, trust me!”  
  
Steven smiled slightly.  “It is nice.”  
  
Connie was quite energetic, rushing from place to place, putting things into the nearby box, and then she stopped as she noticed the Gems were just standing there, watching her.  
  
“Oh, Echo Flowers.”  Connie suddenly said.  “They’re all over the place here.  You touch them, and they’ll say the last thing they heard.  There’s one somewhere around here.  I’m going up ahead a little bit.  Be right back!”  She ran off, laughing slightly.  
  
Steven started to walk forward after her, but Garnet pulled him back.  “She’ll be fine.  She already has Malice, anyway.  It’s not like it can get more worse than it already is.”  
  
A small voice in the back of Steven’s mind told him that it could be a _lot_ more worse if they weren’t careful.  
  
It wasn’t a voice that Steven recognized.  
  
Connie came back, summoning away her Tough Glove before she reached the Gems.  She now donned a dusty tutu over her clothes, rather than her manly bandana in Snowdin.  
  
“It was just a Woshua I ran into.  Thirteen left.”  Connie said.  “Besides, look!  It’s like actual armor this time!”  She moved back and forth to show off the tutu.  
  
“I thought you were trying to save this World.”  Steven said simply.  Connie stopped and stared at him.  “But, all you’re talking about is getting rid of Undyne and becoming stronger.  You’re still killing monsters.”  
  
“Why do you care about this?”  Connie asked.  “You’re Frisk.  You’re not supposed to kill anything.”  
  
“I just want to know something important…”  Steven replied.  “How much of this has been you, and how much has been Chara?”  
  
“Oh, hey!”  A meek voice called.  Both Steven and Connie turned in the direction the voice came from to see the monster kid from earlier running towards them.  “What’s up?  Are you sneaking out to see her, too?”  
  
“Uh…”  Steven was confused.  
  
“Yeah.”  Connie answered for him.  “I told earlier that I was, remember?  She’s really strong, isn’t she?”  
  
“Uh-huh!”  The monster kid answered enthusiastically.  “Nobody’s gone against her and won!  She’s the coolest.”  
  
“It’s always good to have a role model like that.”  Connie commented.  “Somebody to look up to like her.  She’s a true hero, isn’t she?”  
  
Steven, Connie, and the monster kid walked along for a bit, Connie killing everything in their path that would go near them.  The monster kid was thrilled.  
  
“Wow, it’s like you’re channeling Undyne or something!”  They said.  “You’re always beating up the bad guys!”  
  
“Yeah...sure…”  Steven wasn’t convinced by the new act Connie was doing.  She was purposely getting hit, then retaliating.  She was acting as if her actions had justifications.  Like they were protecting the monster kid or something.  
  
The three of them were walking through some taller grass when Connie had them both stop.  She made a small motion upwards.  A large monster dressed in full armor was standing on the ledge, waiting for something.  They seemed distracted.  
  
“That’s her!”  The monster kid whispered.  “That’s Undyne right up there!”  
  
_So, that’s Undyne, huh?_  Connie thought, looking up.   _Wonder what she looks like under all the armor._  Connie let out a small gasp.   _That aura...how strange…  
_  
“If you want to fight her, then we can just do it now.”  Steven whispered to Connie.  Connie shook her head.  “It’ll be easier than just dragging it out like this.”  Steven took a step forward, about to shout up to the Royal Guard captain when Connie tackled him, covering his mouth.  
  
_That_ got Undyne’s attention.  
  
Connie, still covering Steven’s mouth, crouched down, glaring up at Undyne as she slowly stepped closer to the ledge, her armor clanking menacingly.  
  
Undyne summoned a glowing blue spear, scanning the area for a while.  Seeing nothing unusual, she finally stepped away, disappearing into the darkness surrounding her.  
  
After waiting a few more seconds in silence, the three of them finally tumbled out of the grass, shaken but overall, determined.  
  
“That glare…”  Connie muttered.  “Word gets around here quickly.  She already knows I’m here…”  She paused.  “Of course.  I forgot about the cameras.  I should’ve destroyed them when I had the chance…”  
  
“Cameras?”  Steven echoed.  
  
“They’re hidden throughout the Underground.”  Connie explained shortly.  “There was one in the waterfall earlier, when I was left to get this tutu.  I suppose Alphys activated them again…”  
  
“I’m gonna go up ahead.”  The monster kid said.  “See ya guys!”  They ran off, tripping along the way.  
  
“I don’t know if I like Undyne.”  Steven said nervously after a while.  He and Connie silently walked through the marshes, touching Echo Flowers along the way.  They were eerily silent.  “That look she gave us reminded me of Jasper a little bit.”  
  
“I thought you were trying to get Jasper on your side?”  Connie asked.  She paused, activating a save point.  “Seven left.  I need to hurry up.”  
  
“We’re trying, but it’s hard.”  Steven replied.  He flinched as Aaron crumbled into dust.  “She mostly trusts Lapis, still.  I think you’re doing fine with six left.”  
  
“Thanks.”  Connie said.  “You know, I used to hate this.  But now, it’s...it’s kinda fun.”  She ran off course into a small patch of grass and came out with a pair of tattered ballet shoes.  “This will make it go a little faster.  New weapons!”  
  
Steven silently watched as she strapped the shoes on.  “Where do you think all of these things came from?”  Connie dismissively shrugged.  She didn’t particularly care.  “You still have quite a bit of work to do before Undyne, huh?”  
  
“I guess so.”  Connie replied.  “Now, this is interesting.  Weren’t you just arguing with me about this a little while ago?”  
  
“I guess I’ve just gotten used to this.”  Steven answered.  “This...new you.”  He didn’t even move as Connie went into action against another Woshua.  
  
“Your SOUL...is unclean…”  The Woshua hissed as it disintegrated with another swift kick.  “ _Unclean…!”_  
  
“They’re so strange, aren’t they?”  Connie asked as she turned around.  Her SOUL was still exposed.  “The monsters here…”  
  
“Connie, your soul looks weird.”  Steven said quietly.  It was a darker red than before, and swirling marks of black covered it and came off it like steam.  “I think it’s corrupted…”  
  
“Why do you think that?”  Connie asked.  “You’ve never even seen a Gem become corrupted before.  Why would you think that SOULs can become corrupted, too?”  
  
“It’s...it’s just a feeling I have.”  Steven was getting nervous.  He backed up a little bit.  There was a strange air about her that made him feel cautious.  A shudder ran down his spine, then through his entire body.  
  
“Hm...you’re shaking, Steven~.”  Connie said, stepping towards him.  She grabbed the toy knife from her pocket.  “Surely you’re not scared of me?”  
  
“I...I don’t...I don’t know.”  Steven replied.  He let out a weak, terrified smile.  His voice shook.  “Wh-what is this…?”  He felt terrified, and yet, he liked this feeling, in fact, it was all kind of a farce to him, really.  Trying to scare him like this, it was quite... _entertaining,_ really.  “Why would I be?” _Let’s see who walks away from this, Maheswaran.  Wait, why am I acting like this?  Connie’s my friend, or_ was _, anyway.  She’s not anymore.  This is someone else.  Is this what Sans and Chara were talking about?  Is this...is this Malice?_  
  
Connie seemed to grow more hysterical with each step.  “Your Determination’s wavering.  I can feel it leaching out of your SOUL.  Your bravado isn’t going to get past me.”  
  
Steven stopped backing up and looked behind him.  A deep pool of water was right behind him, his sandals scrapping the ledge of the ground.  Trapped, of course.  He took a deep breath and summoned his shield.  
  
Connie seemed to know that he would do this.  She lunged at him, throwing his arm upwards and sending the shield flying and disappearing into a flash of light, knife to his gem.  Steven threw his weight back, sending her flying overhead, hitting the water with a tremendous crash, the toy knife lost somewhere.  
  
Neither of them managed to get a breath of air before landing in the water.  Steven turned to see Connie’s eyes were already closed, gracefully drifting through the water, already looking limp.    
  
Steven looked back up at the surface, already so far away.  He could’ve sworn he heard someone getting into the water before he closed his eyes.  
  
***  
Log 012- Phase 1- Initiate- [REDACTED]  
  
Limiting the amount of Malice did nothing to them.  In the end, they ended up destroying each other, just like all the other times this has happened.  
  
However, through this, I have learned something quite important.  
  
Malice overpowers Determination, meaning that it is impossible to RESET under extreme influence of Malice.  
  
Oh, well.  
  
What a shame with Subjects 003 and 002.  
  
I liked them so much, it really is a shame that this happened.  
  
I guess we’ll have to see my hypothesis is correct.  If I can [REDACTED].  
  
Then, we’ll see about bringing [REDACTED] as well…  
  
End Log 012


	13. Tem

"I hope Steven's alright with Connie."  Pearl said as she and the others walked through Waterfall.  “In fact, I’m just still trying to figure out how we got separated in the first place.  How did that even happen?”  
  
“They’re going to be fine.”  Garnet replied.  “I think we’re close to Hotland by now.”  She touched a small mushroom on the ground, lighting up the path in front of them.  “We should just keep moving, anyways.  The more monsters we can help escape, the better.”  
  
"If there are any to fight at all..."  Pearl said.  She stopped.  "What's this thing?"  
  
In front of the Gems was a small monster, unable to sit still.  It appeared to be a strange combination of a dog, a cat, and something else?  It was a very interesting monster.  
  
And it had every intention of destroying them with cuteness.  
  
"hOI!"  The monster said happily.  "I'm Temmie!"  
  
"Uh...hoi?"  Amethyst said hesitantly.  "Am I saying that right?"  
  
"hOI!"  Temmie replied.  "You say h **OI**!  Not hoi!"  
  
"I don't get it.  Isn't that what I just said?  It's hoi?"  
  
"No, hOI!"  
  
Hoi?"  
  
" **hOI!** "  
  
"I don't get you."  Amethyst finally said, giving up.  "Pearl, can I just kill it?"  
  
"Amethyst, don't you dare!"  Pearl snapped.  "Although I would very much like to."  
  
"Hey, Temmie."  Amethyst said.  "How well do you fight?"  She lifted up an arm and began to flex it proudly.  
  
"No!"  Temmie recoiled in horror.  "Muscles...NOT CUTE!  NOT CUTE!"  Temmie ran away shrieking this until falling on its face, its eyes turning into little X's.  
  
"How you like these muscles ; )?"  Aaron asked, flexing in.  
  
"Urgh, I'd rather be arguing about how pronounce hOI again!"  Amethyst yelled.  "Pearl, can I kill _this_ one?"  
  
" _Amethyst!_ "  
***  
  
"Hey, Sapphire, you've been quiet lately.  Are you seeing something?"  
  
"Yes.  It's...troubling, to say the least."  
  
"Do we need to go back and find Steven and Connie?  Can we do that?"  
  
"A little backtracking won't hurt anything, Ruby.  But, it's not likely to happen...I think."  
  
"So, everything's still moving around, then?"  
  
"Just what are they doing?  It doesn't make any sense to bend everything to this path."  
  
"We have to go back, don't we?"  
  
"I'll go back.  You stay here and stall for time.  Trust me on this, one Gem is better than all of us in this situation."  
  
"...You're blocking me out."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Your Future Vision.  Sometimes, I can see it, too.  But, now, I can't.  You're blocking me out of it.  You're kind of distracted, too.  It's that bad, huh?"  
  
"I suppose it is."  
  
"So, how bad are talking?"  
  
"There's a chance for another reset, though they'd never allow that to happen."  
  
"You go and try to resolve it, then.  I'll make sure to cause a big enough diversion."  
  
"Heh.  Good luck."  
  
"Same to you."  
  
"Do you think...never mind.  You probably wouldn't understand."  
  
"No, no, tell me.  Even if I don't understand, it's weighing on your mind, so just tell me."  
  
"Do you think that we'll ever be to escape them?  Connie's Determination...it can only take us so far, after all."  
  
"You're right, I don't really understand what you're talking about, but I do know one thing.  You're thinking too far ahead again."  
  
"You know that's kind of my job, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess it was, on Homeworld.  But, this is Earth, remember?"  
  
"I suppose it is..."  
***  
  
"There's a _village_ of them?!"  
  
This is what Pearl attempted not to scream as they walked into Temmie Village.  The crudely drawn sign reading "WelCom to...Tem Villag!"  was all that gave it away.  
  
"Well, there used to be."  Amethyst said.  "Looks like they're all gone, except for this one in the wall."  
  
" 'Check out...da TeM Shop'?"  Pearl read, shuddering slightly.  " 'YaYa, check out TeM Shop!'  Can we...not?  This grammar is giving me a headache."  
  
"Oh, come on, Pearl, it can't hurt to check it out."  Amethyst said, laughing.  As the two of them disappeared into the small shop, Sapphire ran off, Ruby standing next to the nearby box.  
  
"Let's hope this works..."  Ruby said quietly.  
***  
  
 **Subject 007- [REDACTED]- Status change to:  Active  
  
Transmission:  Start...**  
  
Lapis Lazuli sat in one of the windows of the house in front of the Temple.  The ocean called out to her, but she still ignored it.  
  
"They still aren't back?"  Jasper asked, walking in, a bag of groceries in her hand.  She put her hair up in a ponytail as she got out a few pots and pans.  
  
"I don't get this.  It's been five days now."  Lapis said, getting off the window sill.  "Connie's parents came back again, too.  They said that they were planning on calling the police if we wouldn't say where they're at."  She joined Jasper in the kitchen and began cutting up a couple of carrots.  
  
"Yeah, this isn't making sense."  Jasper replied, getting the package of steaks out of one of the bags.  "They would've have said something to us, at least."  She began pressing into the steaks to tenderize them.  "Not just completely leave us in the dark like this."  She went from using her palm to just her whole fist.  "They wouldn't leave a human's parents to worry like this."  She was, at this point, just pounding the already gone life from the meat.  "I don't care what they do at this point, they just need to contact us, somehow!  I don't care anymore!"  
  
She finally stopped, blood from the steaks covering her hands.  "This isn't like them..."  
  
Lapis put down the knife, now no longer being used for carrot cutting.  She had just watched Jasper through her rant, nothing else.  "That's it.  We need to take matters into our own hands."  She held her own hand.  "We're looking for them."  
  
"It's a good idea."  Jasper said, then stopped.  "Lazuli, no.  You know the rules, no Malachite."  
  
"We can cover more ground if we fly."  Lapis protested.  "Besides, what are supposed to do, just randomly warp around until we find them?  We don't even know where they went!"  
  
"You take the air, and I'll watch the Temple.  It's that simple."  Jasper suggested, running water to wash the meat and blood off her hands.  She flinched as the water became incredibly hot.  
  
"You don't get it, do you?"  Lapis yelled.  "This is serious, Jasper.  We need to leave now to find them.  We should've started looking for them two days ago, actually!  Look, I don't know if they're hiding, and if they are, why, but...we just need to find them."  
  
"I get it, you're worried."  Jasper said after a while.  "But, you're going about it the wrong way.  Look, let's not exactly panic just yet, okay?  I'll invite Connie's parents over, and we can talk.  See if we can work this out somehow.  But for right now, let's not get too ahead of ourselves.  We've had enough of that, already..."  
  
"Yes, I suppose we have."  Lapis replied.  "Well, better get this all this cooking done soon, huh?"  
  
Jasper nodded.  "I'll deal with that.  You get the Maheswarans over here.  Deal?"  
  
Lapis nodded back and walked over to the door.  "Deal.  I'll be back in a bit."  
  
"Oh, wait."  Jasper said.  She pointed to the still flowing faucet, billows of steam emitting from the scalding water.  "The water?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before people start screaming at me, I'm just going to say that most of time it isn't like this with Lapis and Jasper. Most of the time they're not even in the same room so that they won't try to kill each other. A good day is them barely tolerating each other. The only reason why they're cooperating is because they're trying not to panic over the fact that basically they're the only Gems watching over Beach City at the moment.  
> Also my headcanon before Beta happened was that Jasper was introduced to cooking by most likely Steven, and uses that to calm herself down, since she's still not really good at the whole "civil talking" thing. She's not really good at it, but she'd get along with Undyne just fine.  
> Lapis mainly helps just because, thought she just mainly plays around with the water because she doesn't care.


	14. Visions

Steven gasped as he felt a pair of arms gently lift him back up to the surface.  The sun was setting, casting long orange shadows in the sky.  
  
“Are you alright, Steven?”  A voice asked.  It sounded so familiar, somehow…  “Hey, clod, you can hear me, right?”  He got his answer.  
  
“Peridot?”  Steven asked, lifting his head.  Despite practically drowning, he felt alright, for some reason.  “Wait, what’s going on…  Am I…?”  
  
A calming voice laughed at his panic.  “Don’t worry, not yet.”  Steven twisted around to see that the person holding him was Rose, smiling gently.  She put him down, then hugged him.  “It’s been fourteen years.  The least I can do is give you a hug!”  
  
Steven looked around at where they were at.  It was a grassy courtyard on top of a hill, covered in grey and blue tiles.  A chess table stood nearby, the pieces looking as if they hadn’t been played with in a while.  To the east of the chess table was a series of strange looking chairs, all empty.  Behind Steven was a gushing fountain, shimmering in the fading daylight.  He stood on the edge of the fountain, completely dry.  
  
“This place is really nice.”  Steven said.  He turned his head as he heard a clamor coming from the west side of the hill.  “Are there others here?”  
  
“Sorry we’re late, Rose.”  Toriel said as she and Papyrus climbed up the side of the hill.  “It took us a while to find you.”  
  
“That’s perfectly fine.”  Rose replied as she and Peridot helped the two monsters up.  “Toriel, you’ve met my son already, right?”  
  
“Ah, yes, Steven, was it?”  Toriel asked.  “It’s nice to see you again.”  
  
“Oh...I was expecting you to call me Frisk.”  Steven replied, shocked.  “The monsters the Gems and I ran into did.”  
  
“Well, it doesn’t make any sense to call you Frisk.”  Toriel explained.  “After all, you and Frisk are quite different people.”  
  
“But the Frisk I remember was kind, and didn’t want to fight anyone.”  Papyrus countered.  “I thought Steven was the same way.”  
  
“I am.”  Steven said.  “I really don’t want to hurt anyone.  It’s just that I understand why sometimes I have to.”  
  
“Yes, that is where you’re different from Frisk.”  Toriel replied.  “Frisk just felt like they shouldn’t hurt anyone, no matter what they did.”  
  
“You’re wrong.”  A voice said from the chairs.  A boy around Steven’s age sat in a tall golden chair, tossing a chess piece up into the air and catching it again.  He wore a green and yellow striped sweater with brown pants, and black shoes.  His sandy brown hair was cut in a bob, and his cheeks were pink and rosy.  His crimson eyes pierced through everyone’s gazes.  “Steven and Frisk are two entirely different entities.”  
  
“What proof do you have of that, Chara?”  Rose asked, stepping in front of Steven.  
  
“I thought that with all of you terminated, or in Rose’s case of being not a part of this time and space, you’d all remember the past routes.”  Chara said, sighing.  “Listen when I say this to you.  Frisk is unstable.  Malice corrupted his soul early on.  He’s manipulative.  Fallen into darkness more than I could ever be.  Look, just...if Frisk ever takes over Steven’s body, don’t listen to anything he says.  Attack him to get him out of that state.  Just don’t fall for whatever he says.”  
  
There was silence.  
  
“So, how’d we even get onto the subject of Frisk, anyway?”  Chara asked.  “It’s been quite a while since I’ve heard that name mentioned by anyone other than Sans and Asriel, in terms of the real Frisk, anyway.”  
  
“You’re not welcome here.”  Rose said calmly.  Chara glared at her.  “Are you getting what I’m saying?  I’ll overlook this little mishap this time.”  
  
Chara took a few steps back, then smiled.  “Like you’d ever overlook anything I’ve ever done, Gaster.”  
  
The entire courtyard was plunged into night in an instant, dark clouds covering the sky.  Rose began to melt away as another monster took her place, one that Steven didn’t recognize.  Their eyes glowed a brilliant blue and yellow, and a loud laugh echoed throughout.  
  
“I knew you’d be here.”  Chara growled.  He summoned his knife and charged straight at what used to be Rose, dodging a fireball from Toriel, under the monster’s control.  “Frisk, you need to get out of here!  Quickly, before they take your SOUL!”  Several blasters shot at Chara, who dodged them haphazardly.  “I can’t keep them preoccupied for long.  Hurry up!”  
  
Steven, internally panicking, stepped backwards and fell into the fountain, only find himself standing in front of a hospital room door.  The Gems walked towards him, all of them looking somber.  
  
“Well, this is it.”  Steven said, reading the nameplate on the side.  Connie Maheswaran.  “Look, we need to be happy about seeing her alright.  It’ll cheer her up to see that we’re glad that she’s okay.”  He wasn’t sure if he was talking to the Gems or himself anymore.  He took a deep breath and slid the door open.  “Hey, Connie.  Look who’s here to see you!”  
  
Connie looked...interesting.  An IV tube was her arm, and a heart monitor was connected to her.  A device was attached to her middle finger for monitoring oxygen levels.  It was all out of place with her, all of these machines.  They didn’t belong in the picture with her.  She looked a little dull, but still like herself.  She was smiling, though, a good thing.  
  
“Hey, Steven.”  She said.  Her voice was strong, but not as strong as it usually was.  It felt slightly more fragile, but not like it was broken.  “Glad to see you guys here.”  
  
The heart monitor beeped out in a calm, steady rhythm.   _Beep…..beep…...beep…..beep….._  
  
“You gave us quite a scare when Stevonnie collapsed on the stage.”  Pearl explained.  “Though you didn’t unfuse until we got to the temple.  But it scared us even more when Steven learned your parents admitted you to the hospital.”  
  
“It’s nothing.”  Connie replied.  But her voice shook when she did.  “You know how parents are, treating a little fainting spell like the end of the world.  They’re just trying to make sure I’m alright and stuff.”  
  
“Oh, right, we brought you get well canalés.”  Steven said, handing the bag to her.  “So, when do you think you’re going to get out of here?”  
  
“Hopefully later on today.”  Connie said.  “The doctors just want to run a few more tests to make sure I’m really fine.  But even then, I’m still probably going to take it a little easy for a little while.”  
  
“Well, when you’re recovering from something like this, taking it easy and knowing your limits is key.”  Pearl replied.  “Steven, you’re probably going to have to go solo for a bit with training, or you could always team up with Peridot.”  
  
Connie munched on a canalé.  “Oh, yeah, where is Peridot?”   _Beep…..beep…...beep…..beep….._  
  
“Watching the temple with Lapis.”  Garnet answered.  “It was our choice, not hers.”  
  
Connie laughed a little.  “I see.  Well, I’m glad you guys came down here and saw me.  Don’t worry, I’m fine, really.”  But her expression faltered on the last part.  
  
“Well, we won’t overstay our welcome.”  Pearl said.  “I’m sure Steven will be back tomorrow if you’re still here.”  
  
“Yeah, let’s get out of here.  This place smells weird.”  Amethyst replied as the Gems walked out.  As Pearl started admonishing her, Steven looked back at Connie.  
  
“Um, thanks for worrying about me.”  Steven said to her.  “But, you don’t have to lie about how bad it is.”  
  
“Steven, I told you, I’m fine.”  Connie replied.  
  
“No, you’re not.”  Steven argued.  “I can tell.  You’re just trying to be strong so I don’t worry about you.”  
  
“It was just a fainting spell!”  
  
“Then, why did you look so sad when you said it was nothing?”  
  
“Look, I don’t...I don’t want to do this right now, Steven.”  
  
“If it’s serious, then you can just tell us.  Why would you want to hide something like this from us?”  
  
“Because most people won’t listen to you _when you tell them that you’re dying!”_  
  
Steven was silent.  Connie was visibly upset.  The heart monitor let out a faster beat than before.  Tears stung Connie’s eyes, threatening to spill over.  
  
 _Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep…_  
  
“Don’t try to help, okay?”  Connie asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.  She could barely get her words out.  “I can...I can get through this myself.  I don’t need help on this.”  
  
Steven was still silent.  
  
“If I die, then it’s fine.”  She clarified.  “Don’t put that on your conscious.  Can you do that for me?”  
  
“Why?”  Steven finally asked.  “Why do you want to do this yourself?”  
  
“To prove that I’m not dependent on you and the Gems.”  Connie replied.  “I’ve relied on you guys for so much.  It’s time I do some things on my own.”  
  
Steven blinked, and it was night outside.  The number of IV bags hanging from the drip had increased, from one to three.  She had an oxygen tube strapped to her nose.  A wheelchair sat next to her bed now.  Her violin case sat on the chair under the window, covered in dust.  
  
 _It’s so much worse than before._  Steven thought.  He looked at Connie.  She even looked worse than when they first visited her.  Her skin was pale and ashen, and her hair hung limply around her, dull and lifeless.  Her eyes, hidden behind her glasses, had lost the luster they usually had in them.  Even with the oxygen tube, her breaths seemed shallow.  
  
Death was really taking over her, Steven grimly realised.  
  
“I heard you got taken to the ICU.”  Steven said after a while.  
  
“Yeah, I did.”  Connie replied.  Her voice was so soft and weak now.  It even had a touch of hoarseness in it.  “Apparently, I started seizing up once.  I was only in there for one day, though.  Definitely don’t recommend it.  Everyone there’s so serious all the time, you know?”  
  
Even at death’s door, she was still trying to put on a brave face.  Trying to make it seem like she was going to get through it somehow.  
  
But, it didn’t seem like it was for Steven’s sake, anymore.  
  
“Hey, just because I’m like this, it doesn’t mean that you go all cold around me.”  Connie said after a while.  “My parents are doing the exact same thing.”  
  
“Sorry, it’s just…”  Steven started, looking around.  “It’s weird.  All of this.”  
  
“Is that why you haven’t visited recently?”  Connie asked.  
  
“Garnet and Pearl told me about you seizing.”  Steven explained.  “Ever since then, I’ve been...it’s hard to explain.  And besides, you shouldn’t have to worry about how I’m doing.”  
  
Connie grabbed one of her pillows from behind her and threw it at Steven.  “Hey, I’m your best friend!  That’s kinda my job, isn’t it?  To worry about you?”  She laughed and leaned back a little.  “So, how have you been, though?  Any exciting missions?”  
  
“I don’t know.”  Steven replied.  “I haven’t really gone on any.”  
  
“Any interesting songs you’ve been thinking about writing?”  
  
“I haven’t even touched my ukulele in quite a while.”  
  
“Do you even know how the Gems have been doing?”  
  
“I think Lapis is coming around…?”  
  
“What have you been doing, sitting around moping all day?”  
  
“Sorry.  This has been pretty hard on me, too.”  
  
Connie sat up.  “You know what, I have an idea.  All you need to do is just forget about me, and everything will be fine again.”  Steven looked up at her in silent horror.  “Just press the little reset button in your mind.  It’ll be like we’ve never even met.  Just reset, and never come back here again…  It’s not like anyone’s going to remember me after I’m gone, anyway.”  
  
Steven stood up, knocking over the chair he was sitting on.  “Stop it!”  He shouted.  “Stop talking like that!  People will remember you, Connie.  And even if they don’t, I will!  I’ll never forget you.  I promise you that.  You keep trying to be brave, and you keep acting as this isn’t bothering you, when it really is!  So please, just say it already, because we both know it’s true.  Say that you’re scared of this as much as I am.”  Tears started pouring out of his eyes.  “I don’t want to lose you, but if it’s what you want to do, then I’m fine with it.”  
  
“Steven, I’m horrified at the moment.”  Connie said after a while.  “I don’t want to die.  But, it’s the only choice I have.  My mom’s scheduled a surgery for me, and the chances of me leaving that operating table alive are massively stacked against me.  I...I can’t even hold my bow anymore, it’s that bad.  There’s...there’s no way I’ll…”  
  
“You’ll play again.”  Steven said.  “I can make you be able to play again.”  
  
“How?”  Connie asked.  “You just learned how to control summoning your shield.”  
  
“The fountain.”  Steven explained.  “My mom’s fountain, the one we fixed earlier this week, it’s filled with healing tears.  I’ll bring some of that back to you, maybe hide it in some canalés to make it not seem suspicious.  You’ll be healed instantly!”  
  
“But, the surgery…”  Connie said quietly.  “It’s tomorrow morning…”  
  
“Then, I’ll get it to you earlier than that.”  Steven countered.  
  
“You promise?”  Connie asked.  
  
“I’ll have Lion take me over there, and we’ll be back soon.”  Steven replied.  “I’ll put them in some canalés, too.  As soon as the bakery opens.”  
  
“Thank you, Steven.”  Connie said.  “You’re a really good friend.  Please hurry.”  
  
He got everything ready, and rushed over to the hospital that morning, hoping to get there in time.  
  
That was when Lapis Lazuli and Peridot decided to drag him away for some time at the boardwalk, ignoring his protests that it was important.  
  
“Well, if it was to see Connie, then you’re a little late.”  Peridot explained.  “She’s already in surgery.”  
  
“What?”  Steven asked.  “But, I thought it wasn’t until ten!”  It was nine-thirty now.  
  
“I guess they bumped it up a couple hours.”  Lapis explained.  “Sorry, Steven.”  The bag of canalés fell to the ground, a few of the sweets falling out onto the sidewalk.  Steven covered his ears, trying not to scream in anguish, sinking to the ground slowly.  “Steven, are you alright?”  
  
“I...I promised…”  Steven was shaking now, his voice strained and cracking.  Trying his best not to cry.  “I promised her...that I would help...and now, she’s...she’s gonna…”  
  
 _I’ve just been putting off these inevitable thoughts all this time._  Steven thought as Peridot and Lapis helped him up onto a bench.   _I’ve been just telling myself that she was going to live, that she was going to be alright, but now...I can’t do that anymore…  
_  
“Look, Connie’s really strong.  She’s going to make it through this.”  Lapis said soothingly.  “She’s going to be fine.”  
  
Both her and Peridot made sure that he didn’t see Connie’s mother leave with a sullen expression on her face.  
***  
  
The day was beautiful later in the week.  It was a clear, blue sky.  The cherry blossoms had just started to bloom, their pink petals scattering everywhere.  The air had a nice feel to it, not quite hot, just a comfortable warm, with an equally warm breeze occasionally.  
  
It was a perfect day.  
  
Steven hated it, and the suit Greg picked out for him.  He picked at a stray black thread as the minister droned on about how death was a cleansing process, or something like that.  He hadn’t paid any attention to what was happening at all.  
  
Especially when they walked to the cemetery.  It was an open coffin, and Steven couldn’t bare to look at his friend in the box.  
  
It was the first one he ever attended, and Steven already decided that he hated funerals.  
  
The mortician who picked out what Connie wore was fantastic.  It was a shimmering midnight blue dress, that cascaded into a black ombre.  It was a high-low hem, as well, the front barely covering her thighs and the back going down to her feet in an accordian fold and a swallowtail cut.  Instead of transitioning into black, the very back of the dress went into a shimmering white, unlike the sides and front.  The transparent grey sash around her waist also folded up into her halter style neckline, and flowed down to past her fingertips if her hands were at her sides.  Her hair was down, spilling out and around her gracefully.  They put just a little makeup on her, to bring some color back into her face.  She was barefoot.  
  
She was beautiful.  
  
And dead.  
  
Very, very dead.  
  
This was all Steven could think about.  
  
That Connie was dead, and it was his fault.  
  
“Thank you very much for coming.”  Connie’s mother said to Steven and Greg as they were leaving.  “You gave our girl a reason to keep holding on, even if it wasn’t for very long.”  
  
“This must be hard on you guys.”  Greg said.  “Burying your child like this.  Look, I might not be able to do much, but if you ever need someone to talk to or anything, you can rely on me.  I know how it feels to lose someone you love very much.”  
  
Everything began dissolving around Steven.  He began panicking again, looking around.  Everything was blurry and unfocused.  
  
Suddenly, it all stopped.  
  
Steven was standing in what he could only assume was a lab of some sort.  However, it appeared to see better days.  There were few lights on, and most of the ones on flickered occasionally, dull and tinted a sickly green-grey.  Dust and shattered glass covered the floor, and cobwebs were scattered everywhere.  A small desk was placed near the wall, a lab coat slung tiredly across the desk, what appeared to be a tape recorder poking out from under it.  A long wall of what looked to be some sort of chamber to keep test subjects in stretched in front of Steven, each one of them labelled with a particular number.  He walked over to the one marked 007 and wiped some grime off the glass.  
  
It was hard to make out what exactly was behind the glass at first, but Steven backed away when he realized that it was, in fact, Lapis.  A series of cords and wires were attached to her gem, as well as her arms and legs.  A cracked monitor above the tube showed nothing but static.  
  
“You’re here now?  I’m impressed you made it out of that memory trap the doctor laid out for you.”  A voice asked from behind Steven.  He turned around to see another Gem there.  She had long dark blue hair, which she was twisting into a bun as she walked out of the seemingly growing shadows.  Her long cream dress was covered in scuff marks and tears.  She looked young, but acted and sounded a lot older.  “Don’t worry, I’m on your side.”  
  
“Who else is here?”  Steven asked.  “In the tubes.  Who else, besides Lapis?”  
  
“If I tell you, you’d want to kill me instantly.”  The Gem replied.  She stopped messing with her hair, letting it fall around her, water droplets falling onto the floor.  “It doesn’t even matter right now, anyway.  The doctor’s not here at the moment.  I know you want to fight them, but I’m telling you this, that is a definite death sentence.”  
  
“So, you weren’t the one manipulating me?”  Steven asked.  
  
“That was 90% the doctor’s doing.”  The Gem replied.  “Don’t you remember this lovely voice?  I was the one who first called you Frisk.”  
  
“But, wasn’t that Garnet…?”  Steven asked.  
  
“Nope, that was me.  I suppose you could call this an ability.”  The Gem explained.  “But, I can manipulate Gems and their actions.  What they say, what they do...even memories.  I have the ability to control all that.”  
  
“And this doctor, they’re behind all this?”  Steven asked.  “But, what exactly is the doctor’s goal?”  
  
The Gem laughed.  “The doctor lost sight of their goal an eternity ago.  It was something about a last human wish, or something stupid like that.  I wasn’t familiar enough with the doctor to know exactly what the experiments were for in the beginning.  Now, all of this is just for their own research.”  
  
“Was that memory trap you mentioned earlier related to it?”  
  
“That started all of this.  Kind of.  It helped with it.  It’s really complicated.”  
  
“Why does it feel like you’re hiding stuff from me, even though you said that you’re on my side?”  
  
“What? Me, hiding stuff?  Pfft, I’m an Aquamarine, I’ll have you know.  We Aquamarines are symbols of honesty and loyalty!  We serve Blue Diamond with the utmost respect and would easily be shattered for her!”  
  
“But, you’re not loyal to her, if you’re on my side.  I’m a Crystal Gem.  We’re rebels of Homeworld.”  
  
“Well, in terms of Gaster, I’m on your side!”  A flash of realization came to Steven, and Aquamarine tensed up.  “Oops.  I shouldn’t have said that.  I’m not supposed to say that.”  
  
“Why?”  Steven asked, walking towards her.  Aquamarine scooted away.  “Isn’t that the doctor’s name?  How come you’re not supposed to say Gaster’s name?”  
  
“Just stop saying it!”  Aquamarine squeaked.  Clearly panicking.  “Look, you don’t want to disturb the Storyteller, do you?  I don’t even know where she is.”  
  
“She’s with Gaster right now.”  A familiar, small voice said from behind.  “Besides, you don’t have to worry about that little detail.  The shutdown only applies in the Game.”  
  
“Flowey?”  Steven asked.  “What are you doing here?”  
  
“I could ask the same to you, Frisk.”  Flowey replied.  “YOU’RE not supposed to be able to be like this in this plane.  But, since I can travel to different planes and I remember everything, it’s perfectly acceptable.”  
  
“Maheswaran was here earlier.”  Aquamarine told Flowey.  “This was a separate incident from earlier.  When you manipulated my being.”  
  
“What are they doing over here?”  Flowey asked.  “They’re not supposed to do this.”  
  
“You talked to Connie?”  Steven asked.  “What did she say?”  
  
“She was also witness to a memory trap.”  Aquamarine answered.  “It practically broke her.  Listen, you need to get back, and soon.”  
  
“Back?”  Steven echoed.  
  
“I’m going to have to use a transition.  It takes more time, but just transferring you straight in would wreak havoc on your physical body.”  Aquamarine continued, ignoring the boy’s outburst.  “I haven’t done this in a while.  Here goes nothing…”  She raised her arm, her gem glowing brightly.  As she lowered it, a great wall of water came rushing over Steven, who guarded it instinctively.  As he lowered his arms, he realized that he was back where he started, the courtyard.  It was midday, with a cloudless sky.  He was sitting in one of the chairs, across from him, Chara.  
  
“Welcome back.”  Chara said.  
  
“What is this place?”  Steven asked, looking around.  It was just the two of them.  
  
“The Mindscape.”  Chara answered.  “Your Mindscape, to be specific.  Aquamarine’s manipulating it right now to let me in.”  
  
“Is this another plane?  Like, a plane of existence?”  
  
“Yes, it is.”  
  
“Am I dead?”  
  
“Dying, but not dead.”  
  
“What plane of existence is the Underground?”  
  
“To tell you that would corrupt your mind.”  
  
“Can you at least tell me if it’s reality or not?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Were the memory traps real?  The ones that Gaster put me and Connie in?”  
  
“I can’t tell you that, either.”  
  
“Are you under Gaster’s control?”  
  
“I never was, and never will be.”  
  
There was silence for quite a while after that.  
  
“Frisk, never form the Soul Fusion.”  Chara said.  “It will only make this torture worse.”  
  
“I still don’t even know what a Soul Fusion is.”  Steven replied.  
  
“Don’t listen to whatever Rose says.”  Chara protested.  “All she wants is control.  There will be a time when she tells you to form the Soul Fusion.  Don’t listen to her.”  
  
“How do you know what Rose is like?”  Steven asked, angry.  “Have you even met her?”  
  
Chara laughed.  “Trust me, Frisk.  Soon you’ll see through her little facade.  It’s only a matter of time.”  He handed Steven a small bag.  “Also, you’re going to need this.  It’s called a Determination Stone.  Give it to Connie.  You’ll know when to use it.”  
  
Steven nodded, then faded away from sight.  
  
Chara stood up.  “He’s gone.”  
  
“that’s good.”  Sans replied as he walked over from under the fountain.  “how long do you think it’s been, by the way?”  
  
“Not sure.”  Chara answered as he looked at the sky.  “I lost count after a million.  Why?”  
  
“heh, i would’ve thought they stopped after twenty thousand.”  Sans replied.  “just wondering what you thought, y’know?”  
  
“Well, then, I guess you were wrong.”  Chara said.  “I gave him the Determination Stone, by the way.”  Sans looked over at him.  “Had no choice.  Will this mess things up?  Yes, definitely.  But, still, we need her.  This was the only way.”  
  
“asriel’s getting everything set up right now.”  Sans replied after a while.  “we’re making a memory sphere.  it’s necessary at this point.”  
  
“I hoped it wouldn’t get this bad, but to tell you the truth, Sans, this isn’t even close.”  Chara said.  “It’s going to get a lot worse than this.”  He sighed.  “Gaster must be stopped.  It’s just that the key player we need is refusing to cooperate…”  
***  
  
Steven woke up to find himself finally back in Waterfall.  A small fire burned brightly near him.  A few feet away was Connie, still unconscious.  It hurt to move, but he sat up anyway, wondering who their savior was.  
  
He found her sitting on the edge near a deep pool, legs dangling in the water, her armor cast aside.  She was wearing a simple black undershirt with dark plum leggings.  
  
“Hey.”  Steven said.  Undyne looked up.  
  
“Oh, hey.”  She said, smiling.  “Glad to see at least one of you alive.”  She got up, stretching, and sat down across from Steven in a cross legged position.  
  
“Why’d you decide to save us?”  Steven asked.  “I mean, you could’ve saved the Underground a lot of trouble…”  
  
“It really isn’t about that anymore.”  Undyne replied.  “It’s about being free while we still can.  It’s about making sure that they’re eliminated, for good.”  
  
“You’re just more focused on getting her soul, then.”  Steven assumed.  
  
“Yeah, that’s part of it.  But, really, it’s gone past monsters now.  If they get out, the whole world will be destroyed.  And besides, I have some people that I want to protect.”  Undyne said.  
  
Steven nodded softly.  “So did I, but I’m not sure if she’s all there anymore.  A lot of her has gone away.”  
  
“I know the feeling.”  
  
“You know, you actually kind of remind me of someone I met once.  She’s harsh, and cold, and a little too aggressive at times, but, I know that she’s really kind and loyal, deep down.  She’s just had a harsh life.  And she likes cooking, like you, too.  I think the two of you would get along.”  
  
“I’m guessing Papyrus told you about me, then?  Good of him.  By the way, you have any idea where he’s at?  I haven’t seen him in a while.”  
  
“Huh?  What do you mean?”  
  
“I mean, we’ve never met before.  How else would you know all that stuff about me?”  
  
“You told me.  A long time ago, it seems almost irrelevant, but I remember it all now for some reason…”  
  
A blast came from behind, which Steven blocked with his bubble shield.  
  
“Would it kill you to stop sequence breaking?”  Sans asked.  “i’m surprised the doctor’s let you ramble on about this for so long.  oh, well.  that doesn’t really matter in the end.  maheswaran’s the one i’m after.”  
  
“She’s still unconscious.”  Steven said.  “Oh, right, the stone.  I was supposed to give this to her.”  
  
“T a k e  o n e  s t e p  a n d  y o u ’ r e  d e a d .”  Sans replied, his eyes blank.  
  
“Is she supposed to be glowing like this?”  Undyne asked, looking at Connie.  A pale cyan aura was surrounding her, slowly turning red.  The aura floated away from her, taking shape.  
  
“Shit.”  Sans growled, then looked back at Steven.  “Sorry, kid.”  Steven simply shrugged in reply.  
  
The red aura formed the shape of a person, and a boy around Steven’s age with light brown hair that reached his shoulders wearing a green and yellow striped sweater and brown pants collapsed onto the ground, panting.  
  
Everyone was silent for a while.  Sapphire ran up, then backed away as she saw that she was too late.  
  
And then Chara turned around.


	15. Change

Log 013- Phase 1- Initiate- W.D. Gaster  
  
Finally, after long last, I was able to prove my hypothesis.  If there is a viable host, then it is indeed possible to bring something back that is without a SOUL.  Now, to test the second half…  
  
End Log 013  
***  
  
“Well, this is...interesting.”  Chara said.  “Seems the doctor kept to his word.”  He withdrew his SOUL from his body.  “Finally, we know that he can do at least one thing right.”  
  
“Chara, isn’t that…?”  Steven asked.  He pointed to the soul.  It was Connie’s, no doubt.  
  
“Hm?  Oh, no, it’s mine.”  Chara answered.  “This has always been my soul.”  
  
“Well, I guess we should regroup with the Gems…”  Steven said, picking up Connie.  He stopped.  “She’s so cold…and limp…”  
  
“All the Determination she held got transferred to me.”  Chara explained.  “That’s why I gave you that Determination Stone.”  
  
“So, she’s dead.”  Undyne concluded.  
  
“Basically.”  Chara said.  “The Determination Stone’s essentially a more advanced version of the EDTV Sans has.  Not only does it hold Determination in large quantities, it can actually help channel the amount of Determination used.”  He took the bag from Steven and pulled out a shining cyan stone strapped on a black ribbon.  “Here.  Put this around her neck.”  
  
Steven did as he was told, and gasped as her body began to glow cyan and lifted in the air slightly.  She opened her eyes, and Steven caught Connie as she fell back down.  
  
“Steven?”  Connie asked.  “What happened?”  She looked at Sapphire.  “Is that Sapphire?  What’s going on?”  
  
“We’d like to know that, too.”  Pearl said, an ashamed looking Ruby close behind her.  
  
“They ran as soon as they saw me.”  Ruby explained sheepishly.  
  
“Chara, perhaps you should do the explaining again.”  Sapphire said.  “After all, Sans and Undyne have both fled.”  
  
“Perhaps it’s better for me not to.”  Chara observed.  “You have more explaining to do than me, after all.  He knows about the Soul Fusion.”  Sapphire looked at Steven, then back to Chara.  “You better keep an eye on Connie, too.  If you need me, I’ll be up ahead.”  
  
Pearl grabbed Chara by his collar.  “You’re staying right here with us!”  
  
“Then I’ll go.  We’re close to Undyne.”  Connie said.  Her voice was light, but heavy with monotone.  It was then that Steven realized that her eyes were completely blank.  “There’s still six left.”  She wasn’t fazed when Ruby and Sapphire refused into Garnet.  
  
“Nobody’s leaving.”  Garnet said.  “We stay together from now on.”  
  
"So, what do _we_ do?"  Chara asked.  
  
"Well, I'm pretty sure that it's been almost twenty-four hours since we've last stopped and properly rested."  Pearl replied.  "So, it would probably be best if we did that."  
  
A few minutes later, everyone was gathered around the fire Undyne had left.  Garnet took first watch, but Steven and Chara both couldn't sleep.  Connie had fallen asleep peacefully, curled around herself like a cat.  
  
"So, this doctor character."  Steven started.  Chara broke his gaze from the fire.  "They have control over everyone?"  
  
"Everyone but me."  Chara answered.  "And those outside Ebott are unable to be controlled, as well.  As long as they stay away from Mt. Ebott, they're not able to be controlled."  
  
"What about Lapis?"  Steven asked.  "I saw her in that lab."  
  
"Lazuli fades in and out of control."  Chara explained.  "As she was here before."  
  
"I'm assuming you can't tell me when exactly."  
  
"Correct."  
  
"Are there others who know, as well?  About the truth of what exactly's going on here?"  
  
"Future Vision doesn't work if you don't know the past."  
  
Steven looked at Garnet, who didn't respond.  
  
"Hey, Steven."  Chara said.  "Can you try something for me?"  He revealed his SOUL.  "Bubble this for me."  
  
"What?"  Steven asked.  "But, why?"  
  
"Chara, stop."  Connie said, sitting up.  "This is needless."  
  
"I just want to see something."  Chara replied calmly.  
  
"Why would you listen to him?"  Connie asked Steven.  "Isn't this the same boy who tried to kill you?  Who's killed most of the Underground?"  
  
"I'm with Connie on this one."  Garnet said, turning around.  "Bubbling a human soul puts massive strain on their physical body.  It might just make things worse for Connie."  
  
"We're still connected through the soul, so you don't have to worry about a disconnect."  Chara said, still ignoring both of them.  "I just want to see if I'm right about something."  
  
"Why?"  Connie asked.  Malice was bubbling to the surface, her eyes glowing a soft red.  
  
"I just need to see if the doctor was right about something."  Chara said.  
  
"You don't need to see anything."  Connie growled.  
  
Steven was still, looking at the three of them cautiously.  Not sure which side to choose.  
  
"Listen, what happened in that memory trap is irrelevant at this point."  Connie refuted.  "Stop worrying about it."  
  
"That Gem, Aquamarine, said that whatever you saw in your memory trap nearly broke you."  Steven added.  "It....must've been pretty bad, then."  
  
"Look, it doesn't matter, alright?"  Connie snapped.  "None of this matters anymore, so stop bringing it up!"  
  
"Well, it has to matter if you're still hung up on this!"  Steven replied.  "I just don't get why you're acting like this, Lapis!"  He instantly realized his mistake.  
  
"What?"  Connie asked.  "What did you just call me?"  
  
Chara got up, muttering something Steven didn't understand.  He then began shouting, strange characters floating in front of Steven's vision.  Steven let out a sharp wince as he clutched his head in pain.  
  
 _This feeling...it's just like what happened with the Cluster..._   Steven thought.  More characters intersected with Chara's shouting.  The feeling of weightlessness started to kick in, the pain sharpening greatly.  
  
A pair of ghostly hands started drifting towards Steven, reaching out for his gem.  He screamed, the pain dulling his senses.  A strange rattling sound filled his head, the characters drifting around him to become more violent and distorted.  
  
He was back in Waterfall, crouched in a fetal position.  He looked up at Garnet.  
  
"The Cluster!"  Steven shouted, and he was back in between, the characters becoming malformed and disturbed.  The hands tried once more to grab hold of Steven, but before that could happen, Waterfall appeared in sight of him again.  "What happened with the Cluster, it's happening again!"  A new wave of pain washed over Steven, and he was able to see the hands in detail.  They were long and bony, with strange empty holes where the palms should've been.  The holes began pulsating with magic, and, panicking, Steven quickly sequestered himself away in a bubble shield.  
  
 _Help me..._   Steven thought, feeling the bubble crack under the influence of the powerful magic around him.  The characters faded away, leaving echoes of screams with them.  _Somebody, please, help me...!_  
  
But nobody came.  
***  
Log 014- Phase 1- Initiate- W.D. Gaster  
  
And so it has come to pass that I have made a sudden realization.  
  
It is impossible to control such a malevolent force on its own.  But, in a stable identity, I can place it in an environment that suits its needs, and manipulate it to my will and according to what my research demands of it.  However, in its true form, it is an unstoppable beast of madness.  
  
Never stopping with just the destruction of the World, this being could very well tear apart everything it could grasp.  If we could control it, imagine all the possibilities.  Every possible multiverse, every dimension, clutched tightly in our hands.  
  
Everyone would know the true feeling of being torn apart by "God".  
  
And we would watch every single second minute of it in satisfied exaltation.  
  
End Log 014


	16. Posession

"Hey, what's going on?" Chara asked, somehow forgotten in the turmoil. "What's happening to Frisk?"  
  
"I think whoever's behind this is trying to possess him." Garnet said, picking Steven up, who was now slowly falling unconscious. "This has happened before, but not on as big as a scale as this."  
  
"If Gaster gets ahold of him, this'll all be over." Chara said. "We'd have to force Connie into a True Reset. We'd have to do all of this over again." He cursed and glanced to the side. "Is this why you never wanted to do this? Even if it was the only way to save this World?"  
  
"Why would this be the only way to save this World?" Amethyst asked. Garnet bubbled Steven as they talked.  
  
"It just makes it easier." Chara explained. "You don't get...attached."  
  
Steven burst from Garnet's bubble, screaming. Garnet set him on the ground.  
  
"This isn't going to work." Garnet said to Chara.  
  
"Let me see him." Connie replied. She knelt on the ground next to him, took a deep breath, and laid a hand on Steven's shoulder, her Determination Stone glowing slightly. She slumped forward a little, but Steven stopped struggling.  
  
The Gems all looked at Chara with questioning looks.  
  
"What?" Chara asked.  
  
"What did Connie do to him?" Pearl asked. "Are they going to be okay like this?"  
  
"Of course they are." Chara replied. "Connie isolated him in her Mindscape. Gaster can't reach them there. It's the only place he doesn't have control over."  
***  
  
Steven woke up to find himself lying on his back in an expansive meadow, the night sky shining brightly overhead. He sat up and looked around.  
  
"Glad to see you awake." A slightly familiar voice said. He looked to his right and saw Connie standing there, holding out a hand to him. She looked...older, for some reason.  
  
Steven took Connie's hand and stood up. She was older. A lot taller, too. She was wearing a teal dress with a white sweater overtop with a wide-brimmed sunhat, and a red bangle. What she wore when they first met, with the exception of her being barefoot.  
  
"You've changed." Steven said simply.  
  
Connie sighed. "I think a lot more maturely now. I've practically been forced to, so I'm older here." She looked at Steven and smiled. "You, not so much."  
  
"So, is this your Mindscape?" Steven asked.  
  
"Yes and no." Connie answered, walking off. She beckoned for Steven to follow. "My original Mindscape was shattered after my first Reset, so I became guardian of this place, the Inbetween."  
  
"The...Inbetween?" Steven echoed. "Like, Purgatory?"  
  
Connie laughed lightly as she climbed into the tree on top of the hill. "No, not in that vein. This is the place in between Worlds. Beyond this hill is the gateway to all the other Worlds there are. Or, at least, the Worlds closest to this one. The spectrum the Universes run on is incredible, Steven. I wish I could take you to the Edge so you could see it yourself."  
  
"Well, why couldn't you?" Steven asked.  
  
"That's probably not a good idea." Connie said gently, almost absentmindedly. She fiddled with her bangle. "All of the timelines we've left behind are there, as is..."  
  
"What's really going on?" Steven guessed. Connie just simply nodded. "I want to help you, Connie, but you just keep pushing me away."  
  
"That's a good thing, in truth."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I know it's hard to understand, but it's the only thing to do right now. I hate putting you in this position, because you just want to help, but you can't help me with this. Not right now."  
  
Connie was shaking. Steven wasn't sure why.  
  
"Why can't anybody tell me anything that's happening right now?" Steven asked.  
  
"Funny that you mention that." Connie said absentmindedly. Steven looked at her. "Because you don't really need to be told anything. You can just access it all, through the fields. You're a rare type, Universe, in that you're good at both receiving _and_ transmitting. I've seen you do it, too. All of the information you got, though, corrupted you, of course, though that was...to...be expected..." Her voice trailed off in a creeping horror. However, as soon as finished, she began again, her mouth moving completely on its own. "Lapis Lazuli...she was a receiver, and the influx of information from the different Worlds caused her to spiral uncontrollably. Gaster had to disconnect her from the Project. What are you doing to me?"  
  
Her voice was still calm, probably even moreso when she began. But she still shook with each word, and her arms were now wrapped around her torso.  
  
"Rose, why are you doing this to me?" Now Connie was panicked. Steven began slowly backing away. "Why would want to do this to him? He isn't supposed to know!"  Her voice rose to a scream, and the earth underneath them began to crack, but not split apart. The grass on the hill began to die, turning a sickly greyish-purple. " _Wasn't this the very thing you were trying to protect him on the first place?!_ "  
  
That's when it suddenly all clicked for him, somehow. The thing about timelines they've left behind that Connie had said earlier, the space-time rips Chara could create, Connie's erratic behavior throughout the entire time they had been in the Underground. Even Flowey's behavior and reactions from the other monsters, it all made sense.  
  
They had done all of this before. Every last thing that happened here, happened in a previous timeline.  
  
No, not _a_ previous timeline.  
  
Multiple timelines.  
  
Several different timelines, all of them stopping at a specific point in time before being abandoned for another one.  
  
Still, even with this new revelation that seemed to solve all of the problems Steven felt, he had quite a few questions.  
  
Question one was, of course, how many times had they looped around like this?  
  
Question two was why hadn't he remembered the previous timeline?  
  
Question three, which was probably one of the more important ones, was what had happened in the previous timelines that made whoever reset everything do such a thing?  
  
Question four was a slightly obvious one to ask, but it still nagged a him anyway: How did he figure all of this out so suddenly? It seemed strange, and there was even information that he knew it would be impossible for him to know about, like Mettaton's armor having cracks in it.  
  
But, this wasn't just a gut feeling he had.  
  
Steven _knew_ that there had been multiple timelines crossed to reach this point.  
  
With that in his mind, he figured out another thing.  
  
Chara wanted him to know about this. But, why? And why did he have Connie's SOUL in the first place? The more he thought it, the less it made sense.  
  
The way Steven saw it, there were three different reasons for it. He was doing the timeline loops for [his own benefit], [to benefit Connie in some way], or [it was to help somebody else].  
  
If it was [for Chara's benefit], then why keep killing everything? He could tell that the toll of the excessive resets was taking quite a lot out of Chara, so why keep doing it? He was supposed to be the [genocidal maniac], but that didn't mean he couldn't play the role of the [pacifist], too. Was it because [Steven was Frisk], and having [two pacifists] would break the flow of the Story?  
  
If it was [to benefit Connie somehow], the next logical question would be to ask [what could Connie gain from this]? The [Determination Stone] was one such answer. It had immense power, powers that [Connie could gain that she didn't have before]. But, to go through all this pain for [one object]? The [outcome of the situation] outweighed the [risks and troubles to get said outcome] hundredfold.  
  
Lastly, there was the chance [that it wasn't for either of them, but someone else instead]. Steven narrowed it down to two people both Chara and Connie would risk their lives and sanity for: [Steven himself], and [Asriel, currently known as Flowey]. If something happened to Steven in a past timeline, it would make sense that [Connie would try to save him]. Maybe that was even why she pushed him away so much. Or, it could be that [she was just showing that she could be independent] of him, that [she didn't have to rely on him as much] anymore. But, if that was the case, then wouldn't she just tell him?  
  
[Flowey] was a different story altogether. [A SOUL meant a lot] to him. Having a SOUL mean that [he could be Asriel again], and [live like he did before Chara died]. But, [it was the same as for Connie's benefit]. It [wouldn't make sense to go through all that trouble].  
  
Not to mention that there was still the question of [what happened exactly in the past]? [Connie's memory trap] was something [she never wanted to remember again]. If that a variable in this, and it involved Steven, [why hide it]? If it didn't, then [what did Gaster show her]?  
  
Secondly, there was [Steven's own memory trap]. In that one, [Connie had died, not him]. Aquamarine made it somewhat clear that [in a way, Steven's memory trap indirectly started the timeline jumps], and that [Connie was in a different memory trap altogether]. Was it even possible for [that memory to exist in this current setting, or had he been in a parallel universe to this one instead]? Steven felt that [if he could answer that question, all of the other pieces could fall into place].  
  
That was when a fifth question came to him as remembered his own memory trap from earlier, one that he asked aloud to Connie.  
  
"Wait, is Connie...is she even-?"  
  
Before he could finish, Steven found himself back in Waterfall, laying on his back. Connie slowly got up from her stomach onto all fours, then reached out and grabbed Steven's collar, dragging him towards her.  
  
"If you so even as much as think about telling anyone what you just saw in there, I'll shatter you so hard, you'll crumble into dust." Connie hissed. For once, there was an emotion in her voice. Unfortunately, said emotion was pure rage and hatred. Steven simply nodded, and she threw him back onto the ground while standing up.  
  
All Steven could think about was what happened to make Connie go so cold.  
  
He didn't think he could fix whatever happened in the past.


	17. Frisk

Despite not doing much, the Gems and Chara decided that it was probably best to move forward more in Waterfall and have Steven rest again. The near possession had left him feeling severely drained, and the sudden revelations about the World hadn't helped at all.  
  
They would've stayed where they were, but Connie was getting restless and Undyne was still a threat to them. It was best to keep moving, even if it wasn't far.  
"So, who's Lapis, again?" Chara asked Steven as they walked. Connie, of course, led the way, slaughtering any monsters who were foolish enough to cross their path. Steven noticed that her legs were starting to get covered in dust, like her arms. Chara was right beside Steven, holding him up slightly.  
  
"She's another Gem." Steven began. "She came a few times in the beginning, but she kept corrupting halfway through. Then, just mentioning the Underground to her would set her off. She was a Receiver, so she kept getting flooded with information about the previous resets. She's isolated from the Project now. She supposedly is a guard stationed outside."  
  
"...You shouldn't know any of that." Chara said quietly.  
  
"I know." Steven replied after a while. Then, a few moments later, he added something strange. "The true reality is terrifying. It almost makes me want to stay here, but I have to wake up eventually, right?"  
  
"You really do have a lot of karmic destiny tied to you." Chara remarked.  
  
Connie kicked a Woshua away from them, sending its dust flying.  
  
"I suppose I do." Steven replied. "But, so does Connie."  
  
"Yes." Chara said slowly. "It's why her SOUL is so valuable to me."  
  
"Just to you?" Steven asked. Chara nodded. "I kind of thought Asriel might've liked it, is all."  
  
Chara stopped.  
  
Steven laughed, his eyes now closed. Despite that giving him a serene look about him, his mouth was curved in a devilish smirk. "That look of shock and confusion suits you quite well, Char-a." His voice was lighter than usual, with a hint of breath heavy in his words.  
  
"Frisk, get out of here." Chara muttered. "Connie will destroy you. It doesn't matter who you are, she won't have you being here."  
  
"You're always assuming that, aren't you?" Frisk asked, grinning. "No, it does matter. Like how you have Connie's SOUL. She won't hurt Steven. She wouldn't even think about it." Frisk pushed Chara away from him.  
  
"Are you the one giving him this information?" Chara asked. "The information that Rose was trying to protect from him?"  
  
"No, that's all Steven." Frisk answered. "His powers are magnificent, aren't they? That being said, she must be manipulating the Fields, too."  
  
"What does she think she's doing?" Chara muttered.  
  
"She was never on their side when the Underground gets involved in the Story." Frisk replied. "Though, you knew that better than anyone, right?"  
  
"You're not on the side of the Underground." Chara spat. "You left that path when you kept killing her." Chara slowly began to regain his composure, which lead to him beginning to taunt the pacifist. "Heh, I'd even say that you're worse then me. At least I never abused my powers of resetting to kill someone repeatedly."  
Steven's Gem started to glow, and Connie stopped the party. Her Determination Stone glowing softly, she walked over to Chara and Frisk, making sure to be hidden in the shadows.  
  
"You take that back." Frisk growled. Connie tapped her Determination Stone softly, which began to emit a soft glow, which spread through her entire body. She sunk back into the shadows more as to not be seen. Frisk didn't seem to notice that Chara had begun to do the same. "You genocidal prick, you deserve to die!" He held out his arm to the side. " _Data Replication_!"  
  
With that cry, a burst of light appeared above Steven's arm, and a weapon appeared on his arm, but it wasn't his shield.  
  
It appeared to be similar to the Breaking Point. However, unlike Bismuth's, which had her symbol on it, it had a rose-shaped emblem, covering the center of a star. Frisk pulled the knob on top out, prepping the weapon.  
  
"You, too, have access to your host's memories, I see." Chara remarked, withdrawing his SOUL. He closed his hands around the SOUL, but not enough to touch it. It turned black and shone brightly. "Despair Forme."  
  
Connie stepped out of the shadows, now donning a knee-length black dress that flared out in the skirt, but kept to her body in the bodice. The dress had long sleeves, as well, that poofed out in the shoulders, but kept to her arm shape otherwise. A corset hugged her waist, and lace laid at the edges of the fabric. The neckline went to her throat, but was open to reveal her Determination Stone. Her eyes glowed a dark midnight blue with Despair, which was heavy in her aura, as well. She reached into her Determination Stone and summoned a scythe, its blade glowing a stunning blue, a black rose adorned on top. The handle, too, was black, with vine-like details etched into it.  
  
"So, this is your trick, eh, Char-a?" Frisk asked, cocking his head to the side smugly. "Using your host's SOUL to unleash her true forms...quite devious of you, if I have to say so myself." He launched himself towards Chara, who jumped out of the way. The Breaking Point went off, smashing the ground where he previously was. Frisk turned around to see Chara behind him.  
  
"You're even worse, you know." Connie said calmly, walking in between them. She stood on her toes, wielding the scythe in a battle stance. "Using your host in this way to distrupt the flow of the Story..." She charged Frisk, swinging the scythe, which Frisk barely managed to dodged. "Don't you know how much the Original Storyteller believed in you?" Frisk jumped at her with the Breaking Point again, but Connie grabbed it and threw him to the side, adding insult to injury with an additional whack of the scythe handle, throwing him upwards. "Your [unspeakable sin] will never be justified, False Prophet!" She jumped into the air and kicked him back before he had the chance to land back on the ground.  
  
"I told you she'd try to destroy you." Chara stated as Frisk came crashing down in front of him, face up. "It wasn't for the reasons I thought it would be, but she still did it nonetheless."  
  
"At least I'm not helping Connie destroy the Underground for her SOUL." Frisk said, smiling weakly. "Just be glad for that." Steven's eyes tiredly fluttered open after that.  
  
"Huh?" Steven asked, slowly standing up. He looked around the concerned faces staring at him. "Did something happen?"  
  
Connie silently turned around, grabbed Chara, and continued walking on. The Gems looked at Steven, then followed the two humans.  
  
Only Steven stood there, looking at the castle in the far-off distance.  
  
"What's...going on?"  
  
A voice in his head told him not to worry about it, that it wasn't important.  
  
It wasn't a voice he recognized.  
  
A second said that time was running out to save the Underground.  
  
That one he knew fairly well.  
***  
  
Log 015- Phase 1- Initiate- W.D. Gaster  
  
Data Replication is an interesting subject. It occurs when there is an abnormally high amount of Determination is built up in the subject's body. It can be used to replicate items or(rarely) events from the subject's memories. It doesn't matter if the object is presently in existence or not, as long as the item is vividly in the subject's memory, they should be able to use Data Replication on it.  
  
Formes, however, are rare and unknown to me. I'll have to probe a little further into this. After all, if there's a Forme for Despair, then surely, there's one for Determination, too?  
  
But, wait.  
  
If I do that, then will they remember who they're supposed to be obeying?  
  
Will they remember who [REDACTED] is?  
  
Perhaps I can pull the strings on this a little further, to avoid that from happening...  
  
End Log 015


End file.
